Bike Commuting By the Numbers

RE: Apples & Organges

Responding to Ed Wagner's comments... he's absolutely right that urban design and compact, denser communities inherently encourage more walking and biking and less driving. But to assume that the process is entirely driven by economics instead of governmental policies is incorrect. Government policies have prioritized road-building and sprawl for the last half-century, resulting in our car culture. Our federal government invests only about 1.5% of all transportation dollars into walking and biking.

While New York City is constrained by water, Portland, Ore., is constrained by government policies (the Urban Growth Boundary) that encourage density. When cities like Portland have high numbers of people biking, it's not just due to density, but also to intentional governmental policies. Portland has, over the past 15-20 years, built a vast and largely connected network of facilities to allow people to safely walk and bike. As a result, the number of cyclists has increased at least five-fold (with rapid recent increases not included).

In Minneapolis, 28% of all trips don't involve a car. That's more than 1/4 of all trips that are made solely by walking, biking, or transit. If these cities can do it, others can too. And many are trying.

We must continue to hold our government to high standards in which people are provided with the choice to get around in the most efficient and safe manner. More people will walk and bike instead of drive if given the opportunity to do so safely.

Kartik Sribarra of MD @ Sep 26, 2008 14:42:02 PM