How Biking Can Save Cities Billions of Dollars in Health Expenses

Posted by Shayna Pollock on November 10, 2011

Biking delivers environmental, health, and economic benefits. An article in GOOD cited a recent study in the journal of Environmental Health Perspectives that quantified monetary savings, including data on air pollution, medical costs, mortality rates, car accidents, and physical fitness, from biking. The report, which included a study area of eleven metropolitan areas in the upper Midwest, conservatively found savings of $7.3 billion per year in societal health benefits. More specifically, by biking instead of driving for half of all trips less than five miles, the inhabitants of the study would save $3.5 billion from increased air quality and $3.8 billion from lowered health care costs.

CEOs for Cities has also calculated the savings from reducing driving. According to the Green Dividend, a one percentage point reduction in VMT in the nation’s largest 51 metro areas is worth more than $28.6 billion annually to the nation.