8 Fascinating Facts about Bicycling and Walking in the United States

[onehandle]

Click through for details and great infographics.

1. We're seeing small but steady increases in the number of people biking and walking to work.

2. There are lower bicyclist and pedestrian fatalities where there are more people are biking and walking.

3. More people tend to bike or walk to work when a city has strong biking and walking advocacy.

4. People are healthier in states where more people bike and walk.

5. A large percentage of commuters bike and walk to work in Alaska, Oregon, Montana, New York, and Vermont. Not so much in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Texas.

6. Biking and walking fatality rates have been decreasing for decades -- but are seeing a recent uptick.

7. Few federal dollars go towards bicycling and walking, compared to trips taken and fatality rates.

8. More and more cities are setting goals to increase biking & walking and improve safety.

http://bikewalkalliance.org/news/95-8-fascinating-facts-about-bicycling-and-walking-in-the-united-states

[frazzled]

1. Wear a helmet

It's like buckling a seatbelt: don't bike without a helmet.

[Arugula Latte]

2. Oh, but according to a few DUers, people don't need helmets because

they didn't wear them when they were kids and nothing ever happened to them, see! Also, their one anecdote outweighs many anecdotes of lives and brain functions being saved by helmets.

Wish I were kidding:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024623742#post51

[frazzled]

4. It should be required by law

Just as seat belts are. If our cities are (wisely) expending our tax dollars to build more and better bicycle lanes and encouraging bike commuting (and my city, Chicago, is doing this in a big way), they should also REGULATE it. This would include helmet laws, enforcement of bicycling traffic rules, and possibly even licensing.

My husband has never been a commuter, but he's been a committed road cyclist for many years. Back in the Boston area, his front wheel hit a gas cap that had been left open in the road (and which he didn't see) as he was riding downhill at a very fast clip at 5:30 in the morning. He went flying and then body surfed 50 feet till his head smashed into a curb. (This was all witnessed by his fellow riders.) At the hospital, the doctors were all saying they should make him the poster boy for helmet wearing: he'd be dead or brain dead if he hadn't had that helmet on to absorb the impact. He had a bunch of broken bones and punctured a lung and had road burn over most of his body ... but he was totally untouched in the head. The rest healed pretty easily. The other would have meant a lifetime of tragedy for both of us and our kids.

Wear a helmet.

[hfojvt]

16. maybe adults in a free society

should be able to make their own personal choices?

Like the 3,000+ bicycle rides I have been on and over 25,000 miles sans helmet.

And traffic rules? That's kinda ridiculous too. The laws of physics will enforce themselves.

[Humanist_Activist]

17. Are you being sarcastic and saying that bicyclists shouldn't have to obey traffic rules?

You seem to think that when a bicycle has an accident, it only affects the rider, that's NOT true, particularly if they wipe out a pedestrian or damage a car.

[hfojvt]

27. the first rule of bicycling is

"be careful or be roadkill." (Calvin's safety slogan).

Now traffic "rules", like "come to a complete stop at a 4-way stop sign even though the streets are empty".

Well, you'd have to be a masochist or something to follow a rule like that. Bicycling anywhere would become a total chore, especially in the downtown, where it's "drive a block - stop, drive a block - stop".

You know why there are so many stop signs everywhere?

Mainly because the government has found that's about the only way to get drivers to follow the speed limit - at least a little bit.

[Humanist_Activist]

33. Wow, that's stupid, I should apologize, I'm not calling you stupid, just your post...

I mean, every sentence is just...stupid, its really remarkable.

You might be right about stop signs being a way to regulate speed limits, but its better than speed bumps. In addition, having had close calls at 4 way stop signs in a car when another person blew through without stopping(and I hardly had time to see them, much less react to them), and hardly slowing down, I think I will continue to fully stop at 4 way stop signs, especially on a bike, thank you very much. I value my life, if you are suicidal, have at it!

[hfojvt]

35. ah, okay

suicidal?

I am 52 and I have been bicycling, pretty much every day when it is warm enough, and some darned cold ones too, for over 40 years.

I don't think my philosophy is very suicidal. It hasn't killed me yet.

You think my rule is stupid? - be careful.

And you think it is stupid for me to point out that a bicyclist who is NOT careful could easily end up dead? That seems stupid to you?

Sure, stop signs are better than speed bumps. My point was, that they are put there because car drivers - don't follow the damned rules about speed.

And I'm the bad guy, the idiot, for blowing a stop sign on an empty street? Really?

You know what though? I am quite willing to allow you to do things your own way?

Too bad you are not willing to return the favor to me.

Stupid of me to not try to boss you around and berate you as an idiot for not doing things MY way. Because Big Brother knows best dammit.

[Lizzie Poppet]

52. I'm fond of "yield to mass."

Very, very avid cyclist and former racer in Portland, Oregon (probably the nation's most bike-friendly large city)...and I still find it prudent to ride as if every single car driver is out to murder me.

I do, however, blow off traffic controls when there's no one else around and it's neither unsafe nor interfering with anyone's right-of-way.

[CreekDog]

23. Interesting.

to have it confirmed.

[hfojvt]

28. what?

That I am pro choice?

I guess that makes me a bad liberal.

and, of course, an idiot.

[LiberalElite]

40. Yeah I guess they do enforce themselves -

one of them was enforced when I was knocked down by a kamikaze bike messenger, while I was crossing the street in the crosswalk with the light in my favor. While I was still prone on the pavement and yelling at him, he gave me the finger and rode off. I had a nice tailoring bill to pay for the rip in my coat. Cyclists do whatever the heck they feel like and I and many other pedestrians feel menaced by them. The traffic laws apply to you too.

[hfojvt]

47. two different issues

clearly a "kamikaze biker" is NOT riding safe.

And second interfering with somebody else's right of way is not the same as what I am talking about. I am talking about things like going through a four way stop sign when the street is empty.

Some people believe that I should stop for empty streets or face the full wrath of a police state which punishes such serious crimes.

[Humanist_Activist]

20. I do know that in my state, bicycles are considered vehicles that don't need licensing...

but they are NOT allowed to be ridden on sidewalks, and have to obey all the same traffic rules as cars when on the road.

I was in an accident when I was a kid that would have caused me a lot of damage to my head.

I tell the story here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024623742#post268

I do think that helmet rules should be enforced, on public roads and public bike trails.

[GoneOffShore]

25. Interesting little footnote at the bottom of this chart.

http://www.cyclehelmets.org/1258.html

The above statistics take no account of exposure, that is the amount of cycling taking place. For example, deaths in Australia dropped sharply after 1990 which coincides with the introduction of helmet laws that reduced cycle use. Nevertheless, from 1990 to 2009 cyclist deaths in Denmark, France and the UK (without helmet laws) fell more than in Australia (with laws).

When I ride in Paris, I don't wear a helmet. When I ride in Philadelphia, I do.

And the reason?

Far less chance of an accident in Paris. Because the drivers are more aware of cyclists and there are more dedicated cycle lanes.

[frazzled]

31. Accidents often have nothing to do with drivers

but with pavement conditions, weather, or other factors.

[GoneOffShore]

36. Oh, certainly, yes. And I'm aware of that.

However, look at the numbers of people biking in Europe and not wearing helmets and commuting everyday. In big cities.

I'm a firm believer in wearing eye protection all the time, helmets not so much.

I used to think that helmets should be mandatory, but now, no.

As Doc Gonzo said: "Buy the ticket. Take the ride."

[bhikkhu]

42. As a lifelong cyclist, I think it should be a matter of choice.

When I go out on public roads on my fast road bike, I always wear a helmet. When I go out in the woods and trails on my off road bike I wear a helmet if there's a lot of uphill and downhill segments. If I'm just heading across flat trails I don't.

When I commute to work on the bike trail in street clothes, I don't wear a helmet. If I hop on the bike to go get some milk or eggs from the neighborhood market I don't wear a helmet. If I go out on a group ride I always wear helmet, as there's some shared responsibilty there and its respectful of the ride organizer.

Sometimes its just good sense, but sometimes it would be just silly. Cycling isn't essentially dangerous, and restrictive laws that make it seem overly dangerous would just discourage people from adopting cycling as a practical, easy and safe means of getting from one place to another.

I look at it the same as wearing a coat outside. If you know its going to be cold or there might be a storm, you wear a coat. If the weather is warm enough you don't. One could argue that coats should be required by law below a certain temperature to protect people from potentially deadly hypothermia, but in practice that would be overly restrictive, and adults are expected to be competent enough to decide for themselves.

As a note, I've probably put in over 150k miles in the last three decades with only a few accidents. One was racing down a mountain, and it was a good thing I wore my helmet. The rest were minor - a scraped up hand, a banged knee and so forth.

[hfojvt]

49. 150,000 miles???

Sheesh, you make my 25,000 plus look very small.

I guess an average of 5,000 miles a year over 30 years would do that.

I have been riding my bike for at least 40 years, but lucky to get 3,000 miles in one summer.

Here in Kansas I can pretty much bike year round, at least to work and back, but that, and grocery shopping has been my primary use of the bicycle. I mostly don't do cross country any more. The roads suck around here - too busy, no shoulders AND too dang hilly. Surprisingly Kansas is worse than Wisconsin in that regard. The driftless region had some monster hills, but you could also get on a country road that would follow a valley for a dozen miles and be relatively flat. Here next to the Missouri it is all up and down, up and down, with very few flat sections. So a good ride, for me, is hard to find.

So I have been lucky, maybe, to average 800 miles a year over the last fifteen years.

I generally don't have odometers any more, so I don't really know either.

The last time I had an odometer was probably before 1990. I had some of those battery things on my Trek, but then the battery died and erased the recorded mileage.

I might be over 40,000 miles, but I hate to over-estimate it.

[bhikkhu]

50. Yup...I've been over 10k a year several times

though now I have a new job that consumes so much more of my time, it'll probably be 3 or 4k this year. Its still much nicer than driving, and the roads are mostly pretty quiet and safe where I am (southern Oregon).

[Lizzie Poppet]

53. Likewise.

Former serious racer...and I still put in what would be considered "training mileage" levels (for Cat 5 or 4, anyway) every week. They add up fast.

[Gormy Cuss]

7. I never wore a helmet as a kid and my brain is just fine.

That's why I wear a helmet when I bike now.

The OP point about biking and walking being safer when there are many people engaged in those activities rings true. I know that when I'm cycling in a place with a well developed bike sharing system I have few near-misses with motorists.

[Arugula Latte]

9. Right. And the drivers tune in to the bicyclists' presence more

and learn to watch out for them and check their blindspots before turning and such.

[AtheistCrusader]

11. That thread was a serious blood pressure upper boundary test for me.

[hfojvt]

14. I wish that so many DUers

were not part of the safety religion.

[Arugula Latte]

15. "Safety religion." Right, because advocating for things that save lives and brains is just

so annoying that it's far worse than the actual deaths and brain injuries of children and adults.

[hfojvt]

29. thank goodness you mentioned the children

won't somebody please think of the children?

I do find it annoying as hell when strangers think they care more about my safety than I do.

And if you want to make decisions for me, then expect a fight.

[LanternWaste]

18. What precisely is a "safety religion"?

What precisely (and with contextual relevance) is a "safety religion"?

[Humanist_Activist]

21. Its the "religion" where taking reasonable precautions to increase your survivability...

Last edited Tue Apr 22, 2014, 03:51 PM - Edit history (1)

in any situation is completely like blind faith.

Unlike their "shit happens, God wills it. We shouldn't do anything about it." religion that they espouse.

[awoke_in_2003]

44. Another thing a lot of traumatic head injuries cost...

elevated insurance premiums.

[Arugula Latte]

24. I'm guessing he thinks it's the religion practiced by "nanny staters"

[frazzled]

34. I wish so many DUers

were not self-centered libertarians, hung up on their "personal freedoms," instead of liberals, who understand that we do best as a society when public interests such as roads and circulation are regulated for the benefit of ALL, with civic laws.


I suppose you don't wear a seat belt because you're such a "safe driver" who's never had an accident, and think you should be able to text while you drive, because, you know, you're good at it, and it's a free country.

[hfojvt]

37. well, I AM an excellent driver

and I'm definitely not wearing my underwear.

I can do that, you know, because it's a free country.

I can even shop at Kmart, even though Kmart sucks. And even though Cincinnati is a long, long way away.

I am NOT against a regulated society, but I think there needs to be a balance. The government, the state does NOT need to be a parent telling you how to run your life. Telling you, basically, that big brother knows best.

And there happens to be a huge, qualitative difference between "endangering the safety of OTHERS" and "endangering MY OWN safety".

And I don't even own a cell phone, because I think they are evil. I abhor them. I don't think anybody should own one. But I am not in favor of laws banning their purchase.

Probably in the future though, somebody will propose a law requiring me, and everybody else, to buy one - for my own safety. I mean, without a cell phone how could I call 911 in case of an emergency? And how can the police locate me if I am lost or missing? Clearly I am safer if I own a cell phone.
And don't eat any potato chips.
And wear a helmet - at ALL times. Because what if I fell in my own house? I know a guy who knows a guy who says he knows somebody that did that and died.
And wear a helmet when I drive.
And have a car that is equipped with 15 airbags and a rearview camera so that it is far too expensive for me to ever afford one.

[MrScorpio]

26. People in this country need to wear helmets

This is not The Netherlands.

[bigendian]

3. And they make you

More aerodynamic!

[WorseBeforeBetter]

5. I occassionally biked to work when I lived...

in the DC area -- a nice 28 miles per day and I felt great. No way in hell could I bike to where I work now in North Carolina since it's not on the Greenway and I won't ride the roads down here.

[GoCubsGo]

10. I hear you.

I live in South Carolina. My bikes are rotting in my garage, because I'm afraid to ride the roads here. I had one close call too many, and I got tired of people throwing stuff at me as they drove by. I hate this place. I would give my left arm to be able to live somewhere where I could walk or ride my bike safely.

[WorseBeforeBetter]

39. It's crazy.

I've heard that a local deejay, one of those morning zoo idiots if I recall, encouraged drivers to throw stuff at cyclists. We do have an awesome Greenway, and I can ride sidewalks about two miles to get to it. I'm not exactly a wimp -- I belonged to Washington Area Skaters and rollerbladed through DC -- AT NIGHT. Down here, no way!

[IronLionZion]

6. Local infrastructure for biking and walking is critical

like sidewalks and sensible bicycle lanes down the median instead of competing with vehicles. It's a wonder I haven't been flattened into a pancake by a bus yet.

[Major Nikon]

8. Biking in traffic lanes is not nearly as unsafe as people think

Most accidents between vehicles and bikes happen at intersections, and moving bikes out of the traffic lanes actually exacerbates that problem because it puts cyclists in places where people don't look for them.

[gratuitous]

32. Yep, it's about visibility and predictability

One of the counterintuitive findings traffic researchers find is that more cyclists tend to bring the accident rate down. When motorists are used to seeing and sharing the road space with cyclists, the conflicts between the two go down. When I'm riding where I should be riding, doing what I'm supposed to be doing, I find that motorists are generally accommodating. Most of the motorist/cyclist conflicts I see have their genesis in cyclists darting through traffic or blowing through intersections with nary a glance.

As for helmets, by all means do not wear one unless you have something inside your skull worth protecting.

[ErikJ]

12. "Not so much in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Texas."

goes without saying.

[hobbit709]

19. you certainly don't want to be on a bike here in August.

100+°, high humidity, and lots of hills.

[Art_from_Ark]

51. I cycled through eastern Texas once

But it was in June instead of August. I entered the state somewhere south of Toledo Bend Lake and went up to Lake Texoma. Nice tail wind all the way. Spent the first night behind some shrubs at a church, then spent the next night at a quaint $5/night hotel in Athens. Lake Texoma campground the 3rd night.

[Blue_In_AK]

13. We have people bicycling up here even in the dead of winter

on bikes with big fat tires. There is, in fact, a bicycle race to Nome along the Iditarod trail in February/March, a ride of about 950 miles through some very unforgiving terrain.

I myself don't bike due to an unfortunate incident in my childhood that left me permanently terrified of the things, but I can walk for miles, which I feel pretty good about at my age.

[handmade34]

22. I can dream....

[Junkdrawer]

30. Yet another quiet Revolution going on...

with insufficient media coverage.

[Bigmack]

38. PLEASE wear a helmet when you bike

I probably ride my bicycle 2-3 thousand miles a year. Thanks be to god I ALWAYS wear my helmet because a little over 10 years ago I was in a bicycle accident several BLOCKS from my house on a quiet road I'd ridden on MANY times before. If I hadn't had my helmet on, I'd be a human vegetable today IF I was still alive. My helmet saved my life AND my brain's ability to think reasonably well, and it gave my husband and I many more years of living together, bicycling together, walking together, and talking together. Accidents are just THAT! NO ONE thinks they're gonna go out riding and be in a nearly fatal bicycle accident. Accidents HAPPEN, and we owe it to ourselves - to those we love and to the poor blokes in the wider society who pick up the bills for our treatment (thru health insurance, which happily I had - or thru gov't health care spending). I believe there SHOULD be a law REQUIRING folks to wear helmets when bicycling, but I also believe that bicyclists should take it upon themselves to do the safe and sane thing - WEAR A HELMET ALWAYS when riding your bicycle. Saved my life. Ms Bigmack

[Bigmack]

46. If you don't wear a helmet....

... make sure you have someone in your life who loves you enough to wipe your ass for you for the rest of your life.

And wipe the drool off your chin, too.

[awoke_in_2003]

41. Anyone who has been in Texas...

in July and August realize why we don't bike to work Oh, that and the fact that we are so spread out down here. I could live two miles from work, but then I would be hearing airplanes buzz my house all day (I work on DFW airport property)

[Fawke Em]

43. Harder (and HOTTER) to bike in

Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas.

Try riding a bike or walking to work from May through October (and now days, November) and you'll walk into work needing a shower.

Also, most of the cities in these states were built around the car - so the focus is on roads and not biking trails, unfortunately.

[Lunacee_2013]

45. Neat. I just went on a 7 hour walk/hike today.

I had to get out of the house. There's been a lot of yelling and fighting lately (a newborn with a set of teenaged newly weds will lead to that) so I went out into the woods today. Much more peaceful amongst the birds and the fish then around my family. Left around 6 a.m. and didn't come back 'til after 1 p.m. Tomorrow I'm walking to the puplic pool. This weekend I'm going to see about volunteering at the homeless shelter down the road. I've got to do something to get out of this house before all the in-fighting gets to me.

[handmade34]

48. Oh

you should take the baby with you... so sad that babies have to be subjected to dysfunctional behavior