Is Active Mobility Really a Sustainable Way of Travelling in Italian Cities? When and Where Injury Risk Offsets the Benefits of Riding or Walking

Even though active mobility is considered a sustainable way of travelling in urban environments, this might not always be the case because of a lack of infrastructure and poor road safety standards. This study assesses, under an economic point of view, the health benefits of a shift from private cars to active mobility for urban travels in Italy, considering both mortality and morbidity effects. The overall health effect is the result of positive (increased physical activity) and negative effects (increased air pollutant intake and increased road injury risk). Health impacts are measured using disability-adjusted life years and translated into monetary terms using either the value of a life year or the value of a statistical life. On average, the overall health effect of the modal shift is negative. This is largely due to the very high pedestrian and bike road injury rates in Italian cities. The negative effect of increased air pollution intake is negligible if compared with the effect of road injuries. In the case of bikes/e-bikes, the overall health effect is positive in cities characterised by good cycling infrastructure.