Beware, potholes are making you fat
Wellbeing body guidelines demand that footpaths and cycle routes be safe, attractive and convenient
Potholes make you fat, according to health experts. The poor condition of roads is preventing people from exercising and they must be repaired to encourage Britons to be more active, the health watchdog has said. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) has published guidance calling for councils to fill in potholes, repair cracks and widen pavements so that people feel more confident when cycling, walking or running.
‘More cars on our roads mean government needs to keep the funding of local roads as a priority’
POTHOLES are preventing people from exercising and must be repaired to encourage Britons to be more active, the health watchdog has said.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) has published guidance calling for councils to fill in potholes, repair cracks and widen pavements so that people feel more confident when cycling, walking or running.
The guidance follows research which showed that more than a quarter of adults in England were classified as inactive, as they carry out fewer than 30 minutes of physical activity a week.
Prof Mark Baker, director of the centre for guidelines at Nice, said: “Handing back some of the roads to pedestrians and cyclists will help people to become more active. Simple things such as ensuring street lights along footpaths are working and hedges are kept trimmed makes walking a more attractive option, which will lead to people living healthier lives.”
The Nice guidelines state that footpaths and cycle routes must be convenient, safe and attractive, and maintained to a high standard. They also call for support for those with limited mobility, including step-free access on public transport and adapted crossings.
Recently, Nice published guidelines calling on councils to do more to prevent air pollution, such as removing speed bumps so that cars do not need to start and stop so much.
Other schemes previously proposed by Nice include separating cyclists and cars using foliage, moving living rooms to the rear of houses away from busy roads, and banning “car idling” outside schools and retirement homes.
However, the Local Government Association (LGA), which represents 370 councils in England and Wales, said “significant funding pressures” meant the list issued by Nice was “more idealistic than realistic”.
Martin Tett, LGA transport spokesman, said: “This guidance reflects what councils are already striving towards for the benefit of motorists, cyclists and pedestrians, but with significant funding pressures this list of expectations is more idealistic than realistic.
“Councils have made some progress in tackling the backlog of road repairs, filling a pothole every 21 seconds.
“However, increasing traffic levels and more cars on our roads mean that government needs to keep the funding of local roads as a priority in its spending plans to enable councils to embark on the widespread improvement of our roads that is desperately needed.”
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has at last discovered why so many British people are fat. Potholes are to blame. Potholes stop people walking, running or cycling, says Nice in its new guideline Physical
Activity and the Environment. This is a brilliant insight. How foolish of podgy citizens to feel guilty about wolfing a tube of Pringles while watching the Masterchef quarter-finals or getting into practice for Easter with a daily intake of chocolate creme eggs. If it weren’t for potholes, they’d have cycled themselves as trim as Hannah Barnes. It would save the nation billions if the NHS filled in the potholes. While at it, the NHS could fix all the other obstacles to exercise: tree roots, cold drizzle, wonky paving-stones and the horrible dog at No 37 that looks like a pit bull. Then how thin we’d all be.