Transportation and Health Tool

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The Transportation and Health Tool was developed by the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to support practitioners in examining the health impacts of transportation systems.

This tool provides data on 14 transportation and public health indicators to describe how the transportation environment affects safety, active transportation, air quality, and connectivity to destinations by state or metropolitan area.

This tool also provides strategies to improve transportation health outcomes. For example, Safe Routes to Schools (SRTS) and Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) can improve community safety and equity, increase walking and biking, and reduce chronic disease. Additionally, according to one comprehensive meta-analysis, “variables such as land use mix, jobs–housing balance, distance to a store, and intersection density are all positively correlated with physical activity.”

It is important for agencies to understand the links between transportation and health to improve transportation planning and policy.

Access the Transportation and Health Tool here.