Assessing the potential health benefits of cycling in the city of Viana do Castelo.

Abstract

Mobility has an important impact on the overall functioning of cities and quality of life of citizens. On the other hand, motorized road traffic is associated with high levels of noise and air pollutant emissions along with congestion and other externalities, leading to considerable social and environmental costs and degradation of human health. Following the World Health Organization, physical inactivity is one of the leading risks in Europe, associated with nearly 1 million deaths per year . In Portugal around 69% of the adult population do not reach the minimum recommended level of physical activity and 31% were considered sufficiently and highly active. Therefore, more sustainable transport modes such as walking and cycling are envisaged.