W
William Higley
Guest
I picked up the following information from the "Ride To Work" web site for the Cascade Bicycle Club.
I thought that some of this information may provide ammunition when speaking to folks about the
money we save the taxpayers when we choose to bicycle to work or run errands.
Commuting Statistics
Statistics
20% of Washingtonians rode a bicycle in 2001 [WA State Assessment of Outdoor Recreation, March 2002]
60 million Americans bicycle at least once per year [Bikes Belong]
25% of the U.S. population bicycles [Omnibus Transportation Survey by Bureau of Transportation
Statistics, July 2001]
While in Japan 15% of commuters bicycle to work, in the Netherlands 50% of commuters bicycle and in
China 77% commute by bike; only 1.6% of U.S. commuters bicycle to work [Washington State Energy
Office Extension Services]
Miles of bike trails in Seattle: 283 [City of Seattle]
Miles of striped bike lanes in Seattle: 15 [City of Seattle]
Improve Your Health
Behind tobacco, leading cause of death among adults: inactivity / sedentary lifestyles [California
Dept. of Health Services]
61% of U.S. adults are overweight or obese; 13% of kids aged 6 to 11 and 14% of kids 12 to 19 are
overweight. Obesity is second behind tobacco in U.S. health risk factors, contributing to 300,000
deaths a year.1
Number one strategy for reducing inactivity-related diseases: shifting from auto trips to walking
and bicycling1
Cyclists who ride sober, with the flow of traffic, using lights at night, are 99.999% likely to
survive their rides [John Hopkins]
70% of adults and 50% of children in King County wear bicycle helmets - the highest incidence in the
nation [Harborview Medical Center]
A 150-pound cyclist burns 410 calories while pedaling 12 miles in an hour2
New bicycle commuters can expect to lose 13 pounds their first year of bicycle commuting.
[Bicycling Magazine]
Traffic kills four times as many people as wars [World Health Organisation (WHO)]
Globally, road deaths totaled 1.26 million in 2000, claiming the highest number of victims, followed
by suicide at 815,000 and interpersonal violence at 520,000) [World Health Organisation (WHO)]
In 2000, three times as many men died in road traffic accidents as women. [World Health
Organisation (WHO)]
Conserve Resources
America's cars and trucks consume 10% of world's oil supply2
Trimming one vehicle from your household, saves you $340/month [City of Seattle]
Cost to purchase and install one bike parking rack: $1503
Number of bikes that can be parked in one car parking space in paved lot: 6 - 203
Number of racks for bicycle parking in Seattle: 1,9003
Estimated cost of constructing one car parking space in a paved lot: $2,2003
Estimated cost of constructing one car parking space in a garage: $12,5003
100,000 bike boardings on Community Transit busses annually [Community Transit]
.5 million bike boardings on King County Metro busses annually [King Co. Metro]
# 1 reason for riding a bike to work: it's more fun
1 [Centers for Disease Control], 2 [League of American Bicyclists], 3 [Seattle Bicycle &
Pedestrian Program]
I thought that some of this information may provide ammunition when speaking to folks about the
money we save the taxpayers when we choose to bicycle to work or run errands.
Commuting Statistics
Statistics
20% of Washingtonians rode a bicycle in 2001 [WA State Assessment of Outdoor Recreation, March 2002]
60 million Americans bicycle at least once per year [Bikes Belong]
25% of the U.S. population bicycles [Omnibus Transportation Survey by Bureau of Transportation
Statistics, July 2001]
While in Japan 15% of commuters bicycle to work, in the Netherlands 50% of commuters bicycle and in
China 77% commute by bike; only 1.6% of U.S. commuters bicycle to work [Washington State Energy
Office Extension Services]
Miles of bike trails in Seattle: 283 [City of Seattle]
Miles of striped bike lanes in Seattle: 15 [City of Seattle]
Improve Your Health
Behind tobacco, leading cause of death among adults: inactivity / sedentary lifestyles [California
Dept. of Health Services]
61% of U.S. adults are overweight or obese; 13% of kids aged 6 to 11 and 14% of kids 12 to 19 are
overweight. Obesity is second behind tobacco in U.S. health risk factors, contributing to 300,000
deaths a year.1
Number one strategy for reducing inactivity-related diseases: shifting from auto trips to walking
and bicycling1
Cyclists who ride sober, with the flow of traffic, using lights at night, are 99.999% likely to
survive their rides [John Hopkins]
70% of adults and 50% of children in King County wear bicycle helmets - the highest incidence in the
nation [Harborview Medical Center]
A 150-pound cyclist burns 410 calories while pedaling 12 miles in an hour2
New bicycle commuters can expect to lose 13 pounds their first year of bicycle commuting.
[Bicycling Magazine]
Traffic kills four times as many people as wars [World Health Organisation (WHO)]
Globally, road deaths totaled 1.26 million in 2000, claiming the highest number of victims, followed
by suicide at 815,000 and interpersonal violence at 520,000) [World Health Organisation (WHO)]
In 2000, three times as many men died in road traffic accidents as women. [World Health
Organisation (WHO)]
Conserve Resources
America's cars and trucks consume 10% of world's oil supply2
Trimming one vehicle from your household, saves you $340/month [City of Seattle]
Cost to purchase and install one bike parking rack: $1503
Number of bikes that can be parked in one car parking space in paved lot: 6 - 203
Number of racks for bicycle parking in Seattle: 1,9003
Estimated cost of constructing one car parking space in a paved lot: $2,2003
Estimated cost of constructing one car parking space in a garage: $12,5003
100,000 bike boardings on Community Transit busses annually [Community Transit]
.5 million bike boardings on King County Metro busses annually [King Co. Metro]
# 1 reason for riding a bike to work: it's more fun
1 [Centers for Disease Control], 2 [League of American Bicyclists], 3 [Seattle Bicycle &
Pedestrian Program]
