With the Link Bus Rapid Transit project well underway in Saskatoon, the hope is that it will boost ridership numbers across the city.
And now researchers out of the University of Saskatchewan are suggesting public transit may do more than just get you from point A to point B; it could also improve your health.
“They tend to walk to the transit stations and walk to the bus and walk back home, which does contribute to their physical activity needs. The other thing we know is that sort of people’s well-being and social participation change,” said project lead and U-Sask Associate Professor for the Community Health Department, Dr. Daniel Fuller.
The idea behind it isn’t new, but the 10-year-old “INTERACT’ study is getting new federal funding.
Something Fuller hopes could change how cities plan and implement transit systems.
But some people in the city have differing opinions, especially given recent safety concerns from transit riders.
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“Some people… sometimes going crazy. People are screaming and something smells very yucky,” said a transit rider as they waited for their bus downtown Saskatoon.
Another person said: “I actually have a bipolar illness and it’s probably true because you get out in public and you’re able to get used to people instead of sitting at home and getting worse mentally.”
Fuller said that transit is also a great conversation starter.
“One of the things I like to say is like transit or mobility, sort of getting around the city is kind of like the weather. Everybody talks about it and everyone has an opinion about it,” he said.
Fuller added that no matter what mode of transportation you use, whether it be biking, driving, or transit, getting around can be hard on mental health.
With this project, they are hoping to change that.
“What we really want to know is how the change in the system impacts people’s behavior and whether we can get people… who are using different modes of transportation onto the BRT Link system to be able to improve access to different locations, increase people’s physical activity and maybe change their well-being,” said Fuller.
The research project uses surveys and apps to gather the data.
Fuller says they are finding people in Saskatoon are more connected in their community.
“We do see that in general in Saskatoon compared to other cities,” he said.
“So, the INTERACT study has Victoria, Vancouver, Saskatoon, and Montreal as cities that are participating, that people in Saskatoon do tend to have a little bit higher sense of community or sense of social connectedness compared to those other cities.”
A new survey for INTERACT will be launched in the fall.
Watch the video above for more on how transit can improve your health.
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