Recent accidents that have led to tragic deaths and serious injuries of cyclists have reopened the debate about how seriously cities take the safety of the increasing number of urban commuters who choose two wheels over four.
Does the surge in bike sharing programs and bike paths reflect an interest by civic authorities in promoting the healthy benefits of cycling? Or are cities more interested in the reduction in air pollution and traffic congestion associated with a societal shift to bikes from cars?
With cycling advocates suggesting that safety is lagging behind the infrastructure designed to promote active transportation, cyclists and would-be cyclists are reflecting on whether the risks of sharing the road with cars outweigh the benefits.
Even though cyclists face a higher probability of injury and fatality per trip and per distance than motorists, several studies have determined unequivocally that despite high-profile deaths that make the headlines every year, the health benefits gained by cycling to and from work more than compensate for any additional risks.
Estimating the number of deaths among urban cyclists is dependent on several factors that vary considerably among cities, including the number of designated bike paths and the number of cyclists and cars on the road. Canadian statistics list cycling deaths at 55 per year (last year in Montreal, six cyclists died and 45 were seriously injured).
On the flip side, 60 to 80 per cent of the world’s population doesn’t meet the recommended level of physical activity needed to improve health. With inactivity linked to the increased risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, colon and breast cancer, osteoporosis, depression and obesity, the repercussions of a sedentary lifestyle are significant. And with each additional hour spent in a car per day associated with a six per cent increase in the likelihood of obesity, promoting the use of bikes over cars is a giant step toward a healthier community.
“For the people who shift from car to bicycle, we estimated that the well documented beneficial effect of increased physical activity due to cycling resulted in about nine times more gains in life-years than the losses in life-years due to increased inhaled air pollution doses and traffic accidents,” said the Dutch researchers who authored the 2010 study titled, Do The Health Benefits of Cycling Outweigh the Risks?
The strength of those benefits can be even greater if cyclists opt for a route where they are faced with less car traffic. Not only will exposure to cars be reduced, so, too, is exposure to exhaust fumes, making cycling not only safer but more pleasant.
Also worth noting is that the largest gains in health occur among those who go from inactive to active. This means that encouraging sedentary Canadians to use their bike to commute and run errands will result in a sizable boost in overall health followed by a sizable reduction in health care costs.
In addition to the positive link between cycling and health, there’s another reason the first cycling fatality of the season shouldn’t scare urban commuters off their bikes. According to several studies, the more bikes there are on the road, the more cycling-related deaths decline.
The “safety in numbers” effect occurs because the more people bike, the more motorists become attuned to their presence on the road and in bike lanes.
That said, it doesn’t take long-term studies to determine that better safety measures geared to bicycle commuters will further reduce the risks of cycling and encourage more people to travel by bike instead of by car. More bike paths, traffic calming features that reduce car speed and the creation of bike lanes that increase the distance between cyclists and parked cars are just a few ideas that have the potential to reduce the risk commuting by bike.
Cyclists, too, can further reduce the risk of injury by respecting the rules of the road, wearing reflective clothing and using bike lights if travelling at night.
Money invested in boosting cycling traffic benefits not only benefits those who choose to pedal their way around the city: Fewer cars on the road means less pollution, less noise and a reduced risk of car-related accidents for everyone who lives and works in the city.
With only two per cent of all trips in Canada made by bike and 1.3 per cent of Canadians pedalling to work, there’s plenty of room for improvement. More cyclists means more respect, not only from motorists but also from civic officials who are responsible for making cities bike friendly.