According to National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence “NICE”, the UK should opt for foot and pedal power for short journeys. They say that trips that could be achieved in 15 to 20 minutes should be undertaken the old fashioned way to kerb what they call “silent epidemic” of inactivity.
They have called local authorities to help make walking and cycling easier in the community.
The news comes as reports show that inactivity among the UK population is killing as many as smoking and that over 60% of adults are not achieving the recommended level of exercise. With cycle use on the downturn, its hoped that the new guidelines will help get us all active, reducing the burden on the NHS’s already stretched resources.
Director of the Centre for Public Health Excellence at NICE, Professor Mike Kelly said: “As a nation, we are not physically active enough and this can contribute to a wide range of health problems. It is important that there is comprehensive, evidence-based guidance in place that can help address these issues. We want to encourage and enable people to walk and cycle more and weave these forms of travel into everyday life.”
The best hypermilers start before they even turn the key, so as you would expect we firmly support the new guidelines and hope that improvements in our pedestrian and cycle infrastructure can help people keep fit and save fuel at the same time.
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