education

  • Your HEALTH

    Burning 500-1000 calories per week, which equates to approximately 6-12 miles walking for an average weight person, reduces the risk of premature death by 20-30%. Walkit.com

    • Exercising before work has been shown to increase productivity by 15%. Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition
    • Cycling burns an average of 300 calories an hour. Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia
    • The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends adults should do at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week. This equates to walking or cycling for 30 minutes five times per week. This could be achieved simply by changing your commute method to work. World Health Report 2002
    • Ellen Flint, PhD of London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, pointed out that active commuting proved to be more effective in the fight against obesity than dieting and targeted exercise. Road CC
    • Men and women who commuted to work by active and public modes of transport had significantly lower BMI and percentage body fat than their counterparts who used private transport. British Medical Journal
    • The British Medical Association studied 10,000 civil servants who cycled 20 miles per week. They found that the risk of coronary heart disease fell by 50%! Medical News Today
    • Cycling is not just good for your health but adds an average of six months to life expectancy – based on an average cycling time of 74 minutes per week. (University of Utrecht via BBC News)
    • Riding the bus or train to work is linked to a lower risk of having high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity. American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2015
  • Your ENVIRONMENT
    • If everyone in the world went car free for one day, 11.7 million tons of CO2 would be saved! It takes over a billion trees (1,170,000,000) to absorb all of that CO2
    • 1 day car-FREE—> 1 billion trees
    • Transportation is responsible for nearly 80% of carbon monoxide and 55% of nitrogen oxide emissions in the U.S. Pedestrian & Bicycle Information Center
    • 60% of the pollution created by automobile emissions happens in the first few minutes of operation, meaning that shorter car trips are more polluting on a per mile basis than longer trips. Pedestrian & Bicycle Information Center
    • If every adult in the UK replaced one 1-mile car journey per month by walking, over 300,000 tons of CO2 would be saved annually. Walkit.com
    • A car driver uses more energy & creates more air pollution in just 4 years than a transit passenger will in 40 years! American Public Transport Association
    • 1 person switching to public transport can reduce daily carbon emissions by 20lb – that’s more than 2.4 tons a year. American Public Transport Association
    • 35 million people in the US use public transportation every day. They save 41 million tons of CO2 emissions and 4.2 billion gallons of gasoline annually. American Public Transport Association
    • 23% of Global CO2 emissions are a result of transport. 16% of this is from road transport alone. (2011 International Energy Agency ‘CO2 Emissions from Fuel Combustion’ Report)
    • A study indicates that an increase in transportation cycling could save cities $25 trillion and reduce transportation-related CO2 emissions 10 percent by 2050. Union Cycliste Internationale
  • Your ECONOMY
    • ATP infrastructure in urban districts is linked to increased retail sales and safer roads. A 2012 study of shoppers in NYC East Village where protected bike lanes were installed showed that cyclists and pedestrians both spent more per capita per week than car drivers. These results were echoed in similar studies in cities across the USA. Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia
    • Economic revitalization in urban areas is also bolstered by ATP infrastructure. On Magnolia St in Fort Worth, TX bike lanes were restriped in 2008 and pushed restaurant revenue up 179% along the street. Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia
    • A 2009 report by Joseph Cortright titled “Walking the Walk: How Walkability Raises Housing Values in U.S. Cities” looked at the relationship between walkability and real estate value. Evidence showed an increase in assessed value of $700 to $3,000 for every one-point increase in Walk Score.
    • Transportation is the second highest household expense for the average American. The annual cost of operating a bicycle is approximately $308 a year, which is less than the average monthly car payment. Smart Growth America
    • The American Public Transport Association report for Jan 2012 estimates that those using public transit instead of cars in Los Angeles saved almost $11,000 annually. American Public Transport Association
    • Bicycling and walking projects create 11-14 jobs per $1 million spent, compared to just 7 jobs created per $1 million spent on highway projects. American Public Transport Association
    • If just one out of every ten adults started a regular walking program, the U.S. could save $5.6 billion in health care costs – enough to pay for the college tuition of one million students. Pedestrian & Bicycle Information Center
    • Employers could save up to $36.7 million if the number of employees cycling to work were to rise by just 1% across the US! Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia
  • Your COMMUNITY
    • Access to a variety of safe ways to travel provides people with choice and allows communities and people to decide how they want to move. In order for this to be true, infrastructure such as sidewalks, safe road crossings, and bike lanes need to be in place to ensure the safety of those choosing active methods of transport. The quality of life in a community increases as more people choose to walk, bike, take public transit and interact.
    • An efficient public transport system helps prevent social exclusion and contributes to creating cohesive communities. Grow With Public Transport
    • When commuters ride public transportation or walk, contact with neighbors tends to increase, ultimately helping to bring a community together. American Public Transportation Association
    • Public transit ensures that persons with disabilities and the growing number of senior citizens remain actively involved in their communities and have access to the full range of facilities and services. Michigan Department of Transportation
    • It has been said by Robert Putnam, author of Bowling Alone, that for every 10 minutes of additional travel time by car, social connections are reduced by 10%. Sustainable Cities Collective