Perhaps I'm exaggerating things in the title of this post -- but really, biking and walking offer proven benefits for the health and well-being of individuals, both are environmentally friendly, and we know they offer economic benefits as well. I'd like to bring to your attention a study by Heidi Garrett-Peltier from the Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Released in June 2011, it's titled, "Pedestrian and Bicycle Infrastructure: A National Study of Employment Impacts" (pdf).
Heidi took data from eleven cities and fifty-eight separate projects. She found that for the same amount spent on roadway-exclusive projects, those that included additional bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure (bike lanes, sidewalks, bike/ped paths, etc) created more jobs -- typically an additional three jobs per $1 million spent. Plus these jobs tend to employ people from the local communities.
If you're interested in learning more about this economic and jobs report, you can listen to a summary of the report or watch an interview with Garret-Peltier titled "Bikes A Path to Jobs."
Photo by Touring Cyclist on flickr
Photo by Touring Cyclist on flickr
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BUILDING THE U.S. BICYCLE ROUTE SYSTEM (USBRS) is posted by Ginny Sullivan, USBRS coordinator at Adventure Cycling, and features news and updates related to the emerging U.S. Bicycle Route System. The USBRS project is a collaborative effort, spearheaded by a task force under the auspices of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). Members of the task force include officials and staff from state DOTs, the Federal Highway Administration, and nonprofits like the East Coast Greenway Alliance, and Mississippi River Trail, Inc.
Source: http://blog.adventurecycling.org/2011/10/can-bicycle-and-pedestrian.html
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