Co-Benefits of replacing personal motorized transport with active transportation under different scenarios in Delhi (India)

Abstract

Increasing the number of people who walk and bike to work is a significant step toward achieving the public health objective of increasing physical activity and decreasing urban air pollution. We examined the health and financial benefits of Delhi's policies encouraging walking and bicycling using the Health Economic Assessment Tool (HEAT). Encouraging active travel and public transit is excellent for the environment and public health since it increases physical activity, reduces air pollution, and emits less greenhouse gases. We assessed those 4080 premature deaths could be prevented annually because of changes in the quantity of walking and cycling and reduction in air pollution, and an annual decrease of CO2 by 722,630 tons in Delhi. The monetization of mortality and carbon emission reductions has an economic value of 955 M USD per year.