Is public transport killing us?

Australia is one of the fattest nations on earth. Although the position in the world has varied form study to study (some have previously ranked Australia at No. 1), with nearly two-thirds of the population classified as overweight or obese there is no doubt that obesity is a serious health and societal issue. Another thing, apart from our waistlines, that has expanded rapidly is public transport usage, with patronage growing at its fastest rate since the Second World War. Is public transport, and in particular poor public transport, therefore leading to an unhealthier Australia? It may seem a long bow to draw, but the idea may not be as crazy as it sounds.

One of the health benefits of catching public transport is the walk to and from the station or stop. Imagine how much healthier Australia as a nation would be if a part of people’s daily routine were the four walks: to the station, to work/school, back to station and then back home. That’s almost your daily exercise right there. Unfortunately, the poor quality of public transport means that it is not a viable option for many, restricting them to the unparalleled joys of peak-hour, which has its own inherent health risks. So not only are people potentially not losing weight by walking to catch public transport, they are then losing time in gridlock that could otherwise be used going to the gym.

Of course once you catch your train or bus or tram another problem arises, the availability of junk food close to or at major transport hubs. Take Flinders Street station. In addition to the platform vendors and in-station convenience stores, within a one block radius of the station there are three 7-Elevens, two McDonalds, a KFC, Hungry Jacks, Grill’d, a Lord of the Fries, and a hot dog store, just to name a few. This cannot be healthy, especially given the number of school children who pass through Flinders Street everyday. If their only option for a post- (or even pre) school snack is a choice between junk and junk, there really isn’t much choice at all. And with the number of commuters increasing, it’s a fair chance that a number of those commuters’ waistlines are also increasing due to the amazing concentration of fast food near transport.

Take last night as an example. Melbourne dished up a pre-winter special yesterday, biting wind, showers and temperatures more suited to mid-July rather than the start of May. Not a great weather to wait for a train that ended up being 20 minutes late. So what do cold, frustrated and hungry commuters do at 7pm on a Thursday night? Have a bite of an apple? Some trail mix? No they make a beeline for the warm comfort foods of chips, potato cakes and spring rolls conveniently provided by vendors trading on the platform. Imagine if that is a regular occurrence, people tucking into grease and matter formerly known as potato on their way home for dinner. This would not happen if the trains ran reliably on time. Commuters would not have time to be tempted by seductive, calorie-filled snacks.

But not only do commuters have to endure poor service, they also have to pay a premium for the privilege. With costs entering double figures for all day tickets in some states, it no wonder that some commuters have to make savings in other areas, such as food. Unfortunately some of the cheapest food is also the unhealthiest. I’m not just talking about the all you can eat at Smorgy’s or the $10 pot and parma, it’s the replacing of prime cuts of meat with mince, cutting out fresh vegetables because of their price and eating Kraft Singles instead of cheese. No should have to endure that.

So what’s the answer? Cycling is a potential option. You would certainly lose weight, both through the exercise and the stress of almost getting killed on a daily basis. The Baillieu Government have managed to reduce slow public transport usage in Victoria for the first time since the early 1990s by limiting spending on rail and cutting jobs, so it appears Ted is also worried by public transport induced weight gain. The answer may simply be that people need to make better food choices. But better public transport would definitely be a good thing.