Bicycles

Bicycle Commuting

Commuting by bicycle is becoming more desirable as the total benefits are becoming more evident. Not only is cycling beneficial to the environment by reducing air pollution, carbon emissions, and traffic congestion, but it is also a healthy alternative as it increases physical activity, improves cardiovascular health, and reduces obesity rates in communities. As a viable commuting option, cycling also saves individuals the expense for daily travel that might otherwise be spent on fuel. City leaders are finding that planning for more bike travel increases the quality of life in neighborhoods and communities.

Innovations in cycling infrastructure, transportation policies, financial incentives, and zoning laws are being applied in more and more cities, most notably in Europe but also in the United States, Colombia, Australia, and China. In industrialized countries where pro-cycling planning and policies are in place, bicycle commuter rates are highest; the Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany (among other northern European nations) can claim rates of 20 to 30 percent in urban commutes. For China, once called the “Bicycle Kingdom,” bicycles play a very important cultural role. (During the 1960s and 1970s a bike was considered one the three most important and valuable assets that a family could own.) With increased industrialization and production of cars in China, official planning policies often favor cars, and newer transportation infrastructure often excludes bicycles. Still, many Chinese cities have very high cycling rates by world standards.

Compared to other parts of the industrialized world, bicycle commuting rates in the United States are low—the national average is under 2 percent. However, this transportation trend is gaining momentum. As of 2011, the U.S. cities with the highest (top five) bicycle commuting rates are Davis, California (22.1 percent), Boulder, Colorado (9.9 percent), Eugene, Oregon (8.3 percent), Berkeley, California (8 percent), and Cambridge, Massachusetts (6.8 percent). Large U.S. cities with the (top five) highest rates are Portland, Oregon (6 percent), Seattle, Washington (3.6 percent), San Francisco, California (3.5 percent), Minneapolis, Minnesota (3.5 percent), and Washington, D.C. (3.1 percent). What is promising is that, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey, from 2000 to 2011, 39 bicycle friendly communities (BFCs) among the 70 largest U.S. cities saw an 80 percent increase in bicycle commuting.

Cycle rickshaws are a type of tricycle, powered by pedaling, and designed to carry passengers on a for-hire basis. They are widely used in cities around the world, most commonly in east Asia.

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