Bicycling: A Few Facts

I came across this interesting list of statistics on cycling on the Bikes Belong website.

1. It's time to get kids riding. In just one U.S. generation:
   • The percentage of kids who walk or bike to school has dropped from 50% to 15%. Safe Routes to School
   • Childhood obesity has tripled.
     Centers for Disease Control
   
   
2. Bicycle commuting beats sitting in traffic.
   • Each U.S. rush-hour auto commuter spends an average of 38 hours a year stuck in traffic.
     Texas Transportation Institute
   • This costs the U.S. more than $78 billion in lost productivity and wasted fuel. Texas Transportation Institute
   
   
3. More cycling means less dependence on foreign oil.
   • The U.S. could save 462 million gallons of gasoline a year by increasing cycling from 1% to 1.5% of all trips.
     Chicagoland Bicycle Federation, Bike Traffic, May 2002
   • 10% of global oil production goes toward fueling America’s cars and trucks.
     Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR)
   
   
4. Riding a bike is cheaper than driving a car.
   • On a round-trip commute of 10 miles, bicyclists save roughly $10 daily and spare the air 10 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions. Commute Solutions, Emissions calculations They also burn 360 calories! SmartTrips
   • Based on gas prices of about $4/gallon, the annual direct cost of owning, operating, and driving a passenger car roughly 15,000 miles is nearly $14,000. (It costs about $300 a year to maintain a bike.) Commute Solutions; Moritz, 1997
   
   
5. Biking can help you live longer.
   • Bicycling for transportation can reduce mortality by 35 to 40%. Matthews et al., Andersen et al.
   
   
6. Bicycling is good for the economy.
   • The U.S. bicycle industry sold $6.1 billion in bicycles and equipment (retail value) in 2007.
     National Sporting Goods Association
   
   

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