Physical activity associated with public transport commutes and potential feeder mode shifts

Introduction: Physical activity recommendations of 500 metabolic equivalent of tasks (MET) minutes per week are important for reducing the risk of chronic disease. We aim to estimate public transport-related walking and cycling and potential physical activity associated with feeder mode shifts to walking and/or cycling. Methods: A synthetic population and smart card data were used to estimate physical activity associated with public transport in Sydney, Australia. Network analyses were conducted for the first-mile, transfer and last-mile segments of commuter journeys. Potential physical activity associated with feeder mode shifts to walking and/or cycling for commuters who use private automobiles with public transport was also estimated. Results: Modelled public transport commuters were estimated to achieve a mean of 89.1 MET minutes per day from walking and/or cycling associated with their commute at baseline. Commuters with potential mode shifts from private transport to either walking or cycling were estimated to accumulate an additional average of 36.5 MET minutes and 116.3 MET minutes per day respectively. Conclusions: The method presented here could be used to cost-effectively estimate public transport-related physical activity. This research supports the importance of encouraging active first- and last-miles, particularly for residential areas within approximately 3.5 km of train lines.