We welcome the recent focus on whether current international physical activity targets are appropriate given that the largest health benefits come from increasing activity in the most sedentary.1 2 In the discussion on how to increase physical activity, however, walking and cycling for travel (active travel) received only a perfunctory mention. Sparling and colleagues recommend activities such as pacing while on the phone,2 which have not to our knowledge been studied in terms of contributions to levels of activity or health benefits. They also suggest that walking rather than driving for short trips can increase physical activity in sedentary groups, such as older people. Public transport is often overlooked as a contributor to activity levels, but walking to and from transport access points and interchanges increases physical activity levels.3Active travel is increasingly recognised as an important component of physical activity in low and middle income countries. A third to a half of Brazilian adults walks or cycles to work regularly. Increasing car use, linked to economic development, has been associated with increasingly sedentary lifestyles and adiposity in several low and middle income countries.4 Thus, immediate action to protect high levels of active travel in these settings would be better than waiting until levels of motorisation increase. Interventions that tackle the environmental, structural, and financial barriers to active travel should be prioritised to make it easier for people to build physical activity into their daily lives. These interventions have considerable potential to increase population levels of physical activity globally. In addition to the potential benefits of getting the sedentary active, increased active travel will lower air pollution, noise, and the likelihood of anthropogenic climate change.NotesCite this as: BMJ 2015;350:h725