Urban cycling quantifiably better for you than driving a car

Posted on July 7, 2010 by pat

Despite the risk, urban cycling is a healthier option

The authors found that for the individuals who shift from car to bicycle, the benefits gained by increased physical activity were substantially larger (3 – 14 months of life gained) than the drawbacks of inhaled air pollution (0.8 – 40 days lost) and the increase in traffic accidents (5 – 9 days lost).

“Societal benefits are even larger due to a modest reduction in air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions and traffic accidents,” the paper said.

We need to do a better job at encouraging cycling. It just makes more sense in urban areas and has clear health benefits. More bike lanes and training drivers to share the road would make adoption pick up considerably.

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  • http://www.megantaylor.org Megan Taylor

    I would totally ride a bike around NYC if the benefits outweighed the risk of getting hit by a car. Just saw a guy get hit by a cab yesterday. Yuck.

  • http://twitter.com/pwthornton Patrick Thornton

    I agree. The U.S. has safety issues that many European cities don't have. We need more bike lanes, especially lanes that are separated from car traffic. We also need to train drivers to share the road. We also just need less people driving. In some European cities, cars at not allowed in the center of the city and it is very expensive to drive a car into the city.

    Safety is the reason that I don't bike. Although, this study shows that you'll have a longer life by biking than driving a car. Taking public transportation is safer than both.

  • http://www.megantaylor.org Megan Taylor

    I don't drive in NYC either. Equally scary. Although I both drove and rode my bike in Miami. The roads there are wider and the sidewalks are usually bikeable (aka not as clogged with tourists).

    There are a lot of people pushing for bike lanes in NYC, and some streets, especially in Brooklyn, have them. But they are not separated from traffic in most cases, and cars mostly ignore them. A woman died a few months ago swerving on her bike to avoid an open car door and getting hit by a city bus.

    Anyway, I'm thinking the health benefits/risks are mostly the same as exercise in general. So how about I run 4 miles a day (breathing the nasty air), take the bus, and live forever?

  • http://twitter.com/pwthornton Patrick Thornton

    I agree. The U.S. has safety issues that many European cities don't have. We need more bike lanes, especially lanes that are separated from car traffic. We also need to train drivers to share the road. We also just need less people driving. In some European cities, cars at not allowed in the center of the city and it is very expensive to drive a car into the city.

    Safety is the reason that I don't bike. Although, this study shows that you'll have a longer life by biking than driving a car. Taking public transportation is safer than both.

  • http://www.megantaylor.org Megan Taylor

    I don't drive in NYC either. Equally scary. Although I both drove and rode my bike in Miami. The roads there are wider and the sidewalks are usually bikeable (aka not as clogged with tourists).

    There are a lot of people pushing for bike lanes in NYC, and some streets, especially in Brooklyn, have them. But they are not separated from traffic in most cases, and cars mostly ignore them. A woman died a few months ago swerving on her bike to avoid an open car door and getting hit by a city bus.

    Anyway, I'm thinking the health benefits/risks are mostly the same as exercise in general. So how about I run 4 miles a day (breathing the nasty air), take the bus, and live forever?

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