90 likes | 529 Views
Economic benefits of cycling. Bruce Macdonald. Making the case. . SQW carried out research for Cycling England to measure the benefits of cycling
E N D
Economic benefits of cycling Bruce Macdonald
Making the case . • SQW carried out research for Cycling England to measure the benefits of cycling • The case for public investment means demonstrating that cycling makes a wider contribution to society than is reflected in the benefits for individual cyclists: • e.g. better health, productivity, reduced pollution and congestion • As context, a report commissioned by DfT found that between 2001/02 and 2005/06, cycling outcomes under Local Transport Plans fell below targets or expectations
Making the case . • Need to answer to 2 questions: • How much additional cycling activity do specific investments generate? • What is the “value” generated by increasing the amount of cycling activity (health, pollution, congestion)? • Answering these questions will: • build confidence in planning for cycling investment • increase cycling’s influence in the planning process, and • strengthen the political will to deliver successful cycling projects
Translating benefits into hard numbers . • Research commissioned to value the measurable benefits of cycling: • Improvements in general health and fitness • - Reduced mortality • - Reduced NHS costs • - Reduced absenteeism • Cutting pollution and CO2 emissions • Contribution to easing congestion
The investment case • A 50% increase in trips between 2005 and 2015 will generate savings of £1.3 billion
The Cycling Planning Model Number of cyclists needed to achieve a benefit to cost ratio of 1:1 .
Applying the Cycling Planning Model . • Five case studies • Results reflect the values attributed to additional cyclists (but some benefit pedestrians and will other social effects) • Found it difficult to identify no. of new cyclists • The value of benefits ranged from £0.34 to over £40.00 for a £1 invested • Absolutely critical to build up data on how various investment activities generate additional cyclists