Western Daily Press

Walking and cycling are key to good health

- John Wood, Bristol Graham Best, by email

SO the PM is going to ban junk food meal deals in an “assault on obesity”.

This, just days after the Chancellor announced his 50 per cent meal deal, “eat out to help out” initiative!

It would be more sensible to invest in new walking and cycling routes. Then people can build in daily exercise into their everyday lives, if they want to.

We know from repeated surveys that the main factor putting noncycling people off cycling, both men and women, is fear of motor traffic. Manchester and London have built networks of safe, separated cycling routes.

Bristol should do this too. Combined with the lower and safer 20mph speed limits (which are proven to increase walking and cycling), we can then have a far safer city-wide system.

This will be better than Nanny State interventi­ons stopping people from eating what they want. Of course, we should do what we can to encourage healthy eating too, as part of a healthy life. Bristol is a walking and cycling city which may help explain why our infection and death rates from this virus are lower than other major UK cities. So as part of healthy interventi­on, let’s create healthy travel networks!

This will reduce air pollution, reduce inequaliti­es created by immobility, help people get and stay fit, and save people money. More and more people are taking up everyday exercise including walking and cycling, so the demand and need is there. It can all be done

– so let’s get on and do it. There’s really no excuse now. A healthier population will be better able to resist any future viruses. Walking and cycling can help save people’s lives, and that’s got to be worth it. cashier that the shelves would be cleared by the weekend.

The rest is history and flour and loo rolls are plentiful as the panic subsided as all panic buying ends. Until the next time.

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