Detrimental effects of our transport on our health and mental health
Transport in Ireland is one of the biggest causes of daily stress in our lives.
It is detrimental to our health not only from environmental damage from the forms of transport that we use but the methods of Transport we use are stress-inducing and are detrimental to our health and mental health in a number of ways.
Lack of transport or lack of access to transport is a major mental health concern due to loneliness and isolation which is so bad for your health it's the equivalent of smoking a pack of cigarettes every day! This is not just in Rural areas that get most of the attention but also suburban and Urban isolation is a cause for concern as well due to poor availability or cost of Transport being a contributing factor to mental health decline in cities with 1 in 3 younger people admitting to suffering from loneliness (pre-pandemic).
Some transport planners at NTA (National Transport Authority) seem to be blissfully unfamiliar and unaware about the damaging effects that journey times and duration cause. It has even been reported that journeys have been deliberately slowed down with drivers under the threat of fines for not slowing the journey?? This is probably because they don't use said services on a daily basis and in turn, are unaware of the stressful effects it can have on people's mental health, the stress it causes in people's daily lives, and on our health care system.
Some in government however have now recognised a better work-life balance is needed and is fundamental to the population's happiness.