November 12/15 13:02 pm - UCI Releases Study on Benefits of Cycling for Urban Transport

Posted by Editor on 11/12/15
 

The UCI, along with the European Cyclists' Federation (ECF) and the U.S.-based Bicycle Product Suppliers Association (BPSA), commissioned a study on the potential for a dramatic increase in urban use of bicycles and e-bikes. The study is titled 'A Global High Shift Cycling Scenario', and was undertaken by the Institute for Transportation & Development Policy and the University of California, Davis.

The study concludes that if urban transportation trips by bicycle (including e-bikes) are increased from estimated worldwide average of 6% currently to 11% by 2030 and 14% by 2050, CO2 emissions will be cut by 11% and save society a cumulative $24 trillion. The savings are based on reduced energy use, the cost to society of CO2 emissions, motorized vehicle costs and infrastructure costs.

The High Shift Cycling (HSC) scenario envisions that by 2050 of urban passenger travel by bicycle and e-bike will range from a high of 25% in countries such as the Netherlands and China, to a low of 11% in Canada and the United States. These are determined to be the 'upper limits of a plausible future of cycling'

The study recommends the following actions by governments:

• Rapidly develop cycling and e-bike infrastructure on a large scale;
• Implement bike share programs in large- and medium-size cities, prioritizing connections to transit;
• Revise laws and enforcement practices to better protect people cycling and walking;
• Invest in walking facilities and public transport to create a menu of non-motorized transport options that can be combined to accommodate a wide variety of trips;
• Coordinate metropolitan transport and land-use plans, so that all new investments result in more cycling, walking, and public transport trips and fewer trips by motorized vehicles;
• Repeal policies that subsidize additional motor vehicle use, such as minimum parking requirements, free on-street parking, and fuel subsidies;
• Encourage cycling and active transport via pricing policies and information campaigns;
• Adopt policies such as congestion pricing, vehicle kilometers traveled (VKT) fees, and development impact fees to charge a price for driving that accounts for negative externalities;
• Dedicate fuel taxes, driving fees, and other transport-system revenues toward investment in sustainable transport.

Download the full study Here.