Lung health of local people often ignored in transport planning

A US study has shown that planners often ignore public health issues when building new roads, particularly in less wealthy areas.

Heavy traffic negatively impacts human health in a range of ways, and is associated with several lung diseases.

The research, published in the Journal of Planning Education and Research, looked specifically at one section of a major road in Wisconsin, USA. The community living around this part of the road is made up of roughly 2,500 people, many on lower incomes.

The researchers found that the road posed a number of dangers to health, with pollution being a particular threat.

However, they also noted that when local people fought to improve hazards, they were often ignored.

While the study only covered one area, the researchers believe that the problem is much more widespread. They called for planners to take public health concerns more seriously when thinking about building new roads.

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