Monday, November 7, 2011

bike for short trips worth billions- USA study

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111102082804.htm

The biggest health benefit was due to replacing half of the short trips with bicycle trips during the warmest six months of the year, saving about $3.8 billion per year from avoided mortality and reduced health care costs for conditions like obesity and heart disease.

The report calculated that these measures would save an estimated $7 billion, including 1,100 lives each year from improved air quality and increased physical fitness.

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So Waterloo can find money for an ambitious 'light rail' plan.

Toronto still wants to expand the subway.


But nobody can seem to manage a decent bike lane/ multi-use trail system that can get you from one end of town to the other - that 5mile sweet spot for 1/2 to 3/4 of the year - for bicycles.

This is a failure of the will and imagination - not of funding.

D - I am quite intrigued by elevated bike paths.

It somewhat resembled Chinese plans for extra-wide commuter light rail over roads.

I saw something like that in Detroit.



1 comment:

dino snider said...

I couldn't change the text colour, once typed or cut 'n pasted.
Google, you are seriously dropping the ball here.