Promoting physical inactivity and car dependence: the case of Waterford city’s suburbs

Introduction To paraphrase the WHO GAPPA (2018), Irish citizens do not have access to safe places and spaces in their suburban communities in which to engage in regular physical activity (PA). Less than half of all Irish adults meet the recommended PA levels (46%: HI, 2018) and a meagre 17% of primary school and 10% of secondary school children do so (CSPPA, 2018). In addition, 74% of all journeys nationally are made by car (CSO, 2016), of which 26% are less than 2 km, a distance easily walked, and 57% are less than 8 km, a distance easily cycled; only 2% report cycling to school or work. None of this is surprising as the suburban environment, where the majority live, actively discourages PA for recreation or transport. We have, in fact, systematically designed physical activity out of our suburban areas because mobility, social connectivity and housing have not been planned together. Approach The DTTAS Design Manual for Urban Roads and Streets (DMURS, 2013 & 2019) is founded on four key principles: connected streets, multi-functional streets, pedestrian focus and multi-disciplinary approach. It acknowledged that the design of roads and streets in the past has prevented sustainable mobility, and, by inference, PA. However, despite DMURS applying equally to the suburbs, the guidance has not been applied here and car dependence continues to be built-in to the design of new residential areas, as the norm. This is euphemistically known as ‘carchitecture’ and takes the following form: 1. large, wide, open ‘distributor roads’ providing ‘free flow’ conditions for vehicles that segregate and separate residential areas; 2. single-entrance, cul-de-sac design housing estates that lack connectivity, permeability, and proximity to adjoining estates or any services at all, including public transport. Findings Such designs effectively prevent walking and cycling because destinations (friends’ houses, schools, shops, workplaces) are too far away, and the surrounding roads are full of traffic. So all residents are car dependent: they are left with no choice but to drive everywhere. This often prevents children from playing outdoors – because the street space is blocked with parked cars or dangerous because of moving cars. Such designs also lead to social isolation, as those without access to a private car (e.g., migrants, low SEG’s, young people) can struggle to access recreation facilities, employment and education. Young people in particular, can become entirely dependent on their parents to chauffer them everywhere. Social implications We have prioritised cars over people in Irish suburbs, to the detriment of the physical and social health of the people that live there. We cannot expect people to be physically active, whether for transport, or recreation, when inactivity is so strongly reinforced by the design of their environment. We are currently in the midst of a housing crisis, a gradually unfolding climate catastrophe and twin physical inactivity and obesity epidemics. It is essential, therefore, that we don’t try and fix the first problem by building more of what exacerbates the other ones.

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