Better Bike Infrastructure Improves Environmental and Human Health

In an increasingly urban and health-conscious world, many people are turning to bicycles as their preferred method of transportation. Cycling is regularly linked to a “lower risk of cancer and heart disease,” and biking infrastructure helps make cities more equitable, as many minority and low-income communities rely on bicycles as their main mode of transportation. The Chicago Tribune reported that the “biggest group of Americans who bike to work” are from “households that earn less than $10,000.” In the European Union, bicycling prevents upwards of 16 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year, which is almost the same as Croatia’s total yearly emissions. However, despite the benefits of bicycling, the United States has not invested as much into its cycling infrastructure as European countries have in theirs, which poses a direct safety hazard to those who ride bikes. The lack of suitable, protected bike paths also discourages more people from adopting the practice.

A 2014 study revealed that there were 902 deaths and 35,206 hospitalizations associated with cycling incidents in the United States. In fact, a 2007 survey found that in comparison to driving, “motorcyclists, bicyclists, and pedestrians are 58.3, 2.3, and 1.5 times, respectively, more likely to be fatally injured on a given trip.” These safety concerns also vary with race—a report from the League of American Bicyclists found that in comparison to white bicyclists, Hispanic riders had a bike fatality rate 23 percent higher and African American bike riders had a fatality rate 30 percent higher.

On March 4, the Congressional Bike Caucus held a briefing to discuss several bills that address bicycle safety and promotion, transportation alternatives, and other bicycle-related community projects. The briefing was held in collaboration with Rails-to-Trails, the League of American Bicyclists, the National Center for Safe Routes to School, and People for Bikes.

The bills addressing safety are the Safe and Friendly for the Environment Streets Act (SAFE Act, H.R. 3040), Safe Routes to School Expansion Act (H.R. 5891), and the Vision Zero Act (H.R. 4819). All three bills include provisions for the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP), a federal-aid program that helps fund projects to increase bicyclist safety by reducing traffic fatalities and injuries. Improving biking safety through better infrastructure is critical to increasing bicycling and improving health. A study conducted in 2012 found that between 1996 and 2008, an increase in bike lanes in New York City was accompanied by an increase in bicycle commuters.

Having federal legislation remove obstacles to safe biking benefits not just health and equity but also the environment. In 2017, the transportation sector made up 29 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions—overtaking electrical generation as the sector with the highest share of emissions. Therefore, reducing emissions in the transportation sector is critical to curtailing the climate crisis. Bicycling is a zero-emissions form of transportation; riding a bike saves 150 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer (about 0.6 miles) traveled when compared to driving a car. Biking also has a significant effect on overall fuel usage. According to a report from the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, between 700 million and 1.6 billion gallons of fuel can be saved per year if adequate bicycling infrastructure is available. Additionally, fewer resources are required for the production and maintenance of bicycles.

By making our biking infrastructure more connected and safe, our physical environment becomes better for everyone.

 

Author: Uma Atre