In Reply to: and you posted by dennisc on Saturday, 30. December 2006 at 15:50 Bali Time:
when people have to resort to insults to get a point across. A little bit of light reading for you Dennis. And you know if you actually want to have a decent discussion then I'm all ears but I don't need to get into a slanging match - having been a forum regular for years I am well acquainted with your writing style
Unhealthy car culture
This reliance on cars is affecting the health of urban dwellers.
People who live in sprawling suburbs tend to walk less and weigh more than people in more densely populated areas - about 2.7 kilograms more on average per person, according to a recent study from the National Centre for Smart Growth at the University of Maryland in the US. This puts them at a higher risk of diabetes, heart disease, hypertension and stroke.
Another problem is the air pollution caused by cars which affects not only people living in sprawling suburbs, but all city inhabitants.
Air pollution - particles and gases from car exhaust emissions - are responsible for more deaths than road accidents. They shorten the lives of urban dwellers by one to two years, causing heart disease, stroke, respiratory diseases like asthma and bronchitis and possibly cancer. In Australia, the health cost is estimated at between A$3 billion and A$5.3 billion every year, according to the CSIRO.
A CSIRO study titled Reshaping Cities for a More Sustainable Future predicts that if Australia's cities continue to grow as urban sprawl, in just 10 to 15 years air pollution in our cities will increase as much as 70 per cent compared to 1990 levels.
Injuries from motor vehicle accidents are more likely in suburbs where the car is the main means of transport.