Bicycling

Goals > Bicycling

Photo: pedbikeimages.org/ Adam Coppola Photography

Bicycling is promoted as a transportation goal for a variety of reasons:

Bicycling is one way to be physically active, which reduces an individual's risk of chronic disease
Bicycling is an affordable mode of travel
Bicycle infrastructure is space-efficient, particularly in urban areas that face competing demands for the use of the right-of-way
Bicycling provides an alternative to sitting in congestion
Bicycling is a non-polluting mode of travel
Bicyclists may support more retail activity because bicyclists tend to shop more frequently than those traveling by car

Proven Strategies

Bicyclists are overrepresented in traffic injuries and fatalities and have been increasing, despite the fact that traffic fatalities overall have decreased (NHTSA, 2019).

Experiencing harassment or violence while bicycling is a concern for many people of color. Bicycle infrastructure may protect people from crashes but not may not address inter-personal violence. If concerns about racist violence exists, this must be addressed independently from infrastructural solutions.
Strategies that involve changes to the physical environment may increase the attractiveness of an area. An increased demand for housing may result in increased property values or rents and could lead to involuntary displacement if appropriate mitigation strategies are not put into place. Practitioners can evaluate the risk of displacement through the methods described by Chapple et al. (2017) or Bates (2013).

Reducing Climate Change Impacts on Walking and Bicycling

C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, 2020

Small Town and Rural Multimodal Networks

Federal Highway Administration, 2017

Portland SmartTrips: PBIC Case Study

Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center, n.d.