Bike To Work Infographic: Environmental And Health Benefits

Biking to work may be difficult for Americans who have long commutes and live in isolated areas, but there's a lot to be gained by leaving the car at home.

According to a study from November in Environmental Health Perspectives, if 30 million urban and suburban midwesterners replaced half of their short car trips with cycling during the warmest six months of the year, they "could save approximately four trillion pounds of carbon dioxide emissions, 1,100 lives and $7 billion in mortality and health care costs for the region every year."

HuffPost blogger Christine Negroni believes everyone could learn a lesson from the urban bike culture of Copenhagen, Denmark. She writes, "Copenhagen has ambitions to increase the number of two-wheeled-commuters to 50% by 2015, and I hope they achieve it. Even more, I hope their progress sends a message far beyond Denmark and encourages the rest of the world to adopt pedal power, the ever-renewable-energy source."

While biking to work will help you lose weight and lessen your carbon footprint, it could also increase the impact of air pollution on your health. Researchers in London found that people who cycle to work have 2.3 times more soot from vehicle exhaust in their lungs than individuals who walk to work.

Is your area well-suited to bike riding? Check out this list of the best U.S. cities to live in without a car.

Check out the infographic below from Healthcaremanagementdegree.com and learn "How bikes can save us."

Created by: Healthcare Management Degree

Also on HuffPost:

Comments

[planbike]

04:03 AM on 03/14/2012

My bike commute:

- 41 miles each way
- 7+ miles of water to cross
- 300+ meters of vertical to descend/climb

With a little bit of public transit, it can be done, and its still fun:

http://www.planbike.com/2012/02/agony-and-ecstasy-of-bleeding-edge-bike.html

[Ray Sauce]

02:34 PM on 02/07/2012

This is a great study. I ride to work everyday and see people who literally live down the street and take a car daily. I seems like a huge waste of money if you ask me. I just got a road bike and use it as a daily rider. Not only do I feel healthier I have saved a huge amount in gas insurance and car maintenance. Take a look at the bike I got http://www.2wheelbikes.com/se-draft-10-dirty-gold-road-bike.html

[30milesperweek]

09:44 AM on 01/05/2012

The real question here is how often does blogger Christine Negroni bike to work?

[Roxycat280]

04:47 PM on 12/23/2011

Love all the negative comments about bike riding. The article isn't telling you to ride everywhere, to the supermarket, doctors, etc. lazy lazy americans complaining again....does it ever get old for you? No wonder most American asses don't fit in airplane seats,

[davyjones2112]

12:31 AM on 12/15/2011

Takes me almost an hour to drive to work at 60 mph. Ride a bike instead? Not gonna happen.

[surfimp]

07:49 PM on 12/14/2011

Sorry guys, but that video you posted is terrible: it shows the subject rider on the sidewalk (illegal in many places, and less safe than the street in most urban environments), it shows him riding against traffic on a one way street, and it shows a totally incompetent locking technique (his wheels will almost certainly be stolen). And dusting off the saddle with a brush as pre-ride maintenance, are you kidding me? The sentiment is in the right spot, but unfortuantely as a daily cyclist I have to tell you the execution misses the mark.

[Genders]

03:31 PM on 12/15/2011

Nope. It's a myth that the sidewalk is more dangerous. Cars kill pedestrians and bicyclists.
It should be obvious. But lots of Americans seem to love riding their bikes next to cars. They quote per mile, instead of per hour. Bike lanes on the road are ruining bicycling. Making it illegal to ride on the sidewalk is the final straw. Europe understand this. http://ec.europa.eu/transport/road_safety/specialist/knowledge/pdf/pedestrians.pdf

[jachavez]

07:30 PM on 12/14/2011

It is only a matter of time before America moves towards biking and using public transportation more often. That day will come when the current modes of transportation can not support the population.
http://realesttalkblog.blogspot.com

[Juan Carlos Salazar]

04:50 PM on 12/14/2011

Muy buen post de como el uso de otros medios de transporte resultan hasta saludables. Keep the rubber side down!

[nothingchanges]

11:41 AM on 12/14/2011

Before bikes can "save" us, we need the infrastructure to make riding safe. Something America, and more specifically American politicians are unwilling to do.

Billions for bankers, nothing for bikers.

Kind of shows where our priorities are, doesn't it?

[Genders]

08:57 PM on 12/13/2011

Sorry, the USA is heading in the wrong direction on bikes.

We have these insane bike lanes shared with cars. I ride on the sidewalk. But that becomes illegal once the road shared bike lanes come in.

Try Holland, they have sidewalk shared bike lanes.

Duh.

[JudyAF]

09:10 PM on 12/13/2011

Learn to drive your bike like a car. Riding on the sidewalk is the most dangerous thing you can do and is one of the leading causes of bike accidents. Cars don't expect to see bike on the sidewalks and don't look for them going the wrong way coming out of intersections and driveways.

Bikes have the rights to the road and it is safer to do the expected and act like a car on the road.

Most of Hollands Auto drivers also ride bikes so are more aware of bikes on the road. If you ride like a vehicle you will be respected like a vehicle on the road.

[Genders]

09:31 PM on 12/13/2011

NO! bikes are not cars. Riding on the sidewalk is the SAFEST THING YOU CAN DO.

Crossing the road is the dangerous part, not riding on the sidewalk. The rest of the world is beating the US, because of this inane idea that bikes and cars should share the road, instead of the sane idea that bikes and pedestrian should share the sidewalk.

I have ridden a bike in Holland, have you?

[Genders]

02:28 PM on 12/14/2011

"
The main consequences of the necessary framework and new concepts for road planning
and design are:
• Motorised traffic with a flow or distribution function must be segregated from nonmotorised transport.
• A network of main traffic routes must be created for pedestrians and cyclists.
http://ec.europa.eu/transport/road_safety/specialist/knowledge/pdf/pedestrians.pdf

Why don't you try more research and less attitude.

[julieintx]

07:43 PM on 12/13/2011

Oh right, like I'm going to get my groceries home on that thing.

When I take my mom to the doc, do I make her ride on the handlebars, or what?

This is fine for some folks, mostly young males. For the rest of us, its not too useful.

[BeefRichards]

10:20 PM on 12/13/2011

fly in your magic hater-mobile

[surfimp]

07:53 PM on 12/14/2011

Check out http://xtracycle.com
Problem solved.
It gets my kids to school and me to work just fine.
I drive my car maybe once a month - and that's a big month of car driving, if it happens.

[RichieB]

06:05 PM on 12/13/2011

I'm an avid biker and would love to bike to work. The only problem is that I work at home, unless I'm out of town on business. So that would be a short ride. The good news is that I can sneak a bike ride in at lunch time or just after work. It's great for your health and emotional well being.

[Du Pain]

04:31 PM on 12/13/2011

Thank you for posting this!

I bike 13 miles each way to work, even in 30 degree weather, and it's really not as bad as some people think. More people need to move from 4 wheels and down to two. A bicycle will liberate you.

[emorationality]

03:51 PM on 12/13/2011

Very interesting infographic. However two important points need to be mentioned:

1) Riding a bike in most european cities is dangerous (possible accidents) given that there is a lack of reserved alleys for biking.

2) I live in the city and when I ride my bike in the traffic jam I literaly suffocate since there is no fresh air. I am in the middle of a physical effort and I breathe air that is way more polluted than the air the driver of a big SUV with closed windows is breathing. This is unfair but a situation that most city bike riders face.

Our take on this and on green nudges can be read here:
http://www.strategie.gouv.fr/system/files/2011-03-09-na-216-nudgesvertsgb.pdf

[Max Imus]

04:22 PM on 12/13/2011

you seem like a guy who likes to make excuses. Where's your can-do attitude?
People bike in polluted cities. Our city often has stage 1 and 2 smog alerts.