Every kilometre cycled benefits society, new ITF report claims

The health benefits to society from cycling outweigh negative impacts by up to a factor of 20, according to the International Transport Forum (ITF) at the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) latest research report ‘Cycling, Health and Safety’. The report, published at a time when many cities are seeking to increase the share of cycling amidst concerns for safety, shows that the key to delivering overall benefits from cycling is creating a safe system through government policy and
February 19, 2014 Read time: 1 min
The health benefits to society from cycling outweigh negative impacts by up to a factor of 20, according to the 1102 International Transport Forum (ITF) at the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) latest research report ‘Cycling, Health and Safety’.

The report, published at a time when many cities are seeking to increase the share of cycling amidst concerns for safety, shows that the key to delivering overall benefits from cycling is creating a safe system through government policy and city action.

Among the recommendations for policy makers is the moderation of some urban road speeds to 30km/h or less, and the use of separated cycling infrastructure to increase the number of new cyclists. Attracting new cyclists gains the greatest health benefits through increased physical activity, including reducing risks linked to cardiovascular disease, obesity and Type-2 diabetes.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Final shortlist revealed for ITF 2014 Summit Young Researcher of the Year Award
    April 11, 2014
    One of four young talented transport researchers will be presented with the 2014 Young Researcher of the Year Award in the presence of transport ministers from around the world at the International Transport Forum at the OECD’s 2014 Summit in Leipzig, Germany, on 21 May 2014. The jury’s final shortlist for the prestigious award includes Spain’s Francesc Soriguera who is nominated for examining whether real time information on travel time is helpful for drivers. His results show that this information is on
    Read More
  • Road safety is an EU priority
    March 2, 2012
    The preparation of the new EU Road Safety Policy for the next decade will take place during Spain's presidency of the EU. Patrick Smith reports. An the past 10 years, half a million people have been killed on European Union roads, with road crashes costing an annual €160 billion or 2% the EU's GDP.
    Read More
  • PTV software for CycleRAP pilot project
    June 14, 2023
    The latest technology of PTV’s Model2Go and PTV Visum will be used to create a model of the city generated by using OpenStreetMap data for a detailed urban bicycle network configuration.
    Read More
  • Intelligent approaches to future mobility
    June 14, 2012
    IRF Geneva actively involved in the launch of the UNECE strategy package on ITS that is expected to mark a milestone for future United Nations activities on ITS. High-level speakers, governments, experts and academia from all around the world gathered in Geneva on 28th February for a landmark ‘kick-off’ session aimed at positioning ITS more prominently on the policy makers agenda and to contribute to the policy-segment and launch of the new UNECE strategy package on ITS. The strategy package contains
    Read More

Highlighted Content