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

  • Increasing climate change resilience through effective maintenance
    January 30, 2020
    IRF spoke to Valerio Molinari from Ecogest SpA about maintenance as an effective means for increasing infrastructure resilience.
    Read More
  • Europe’s drive for safer roads sets new targets
    January 9, 2019
    Europe’s drive for improved road safety will see new targets being set. Previous ambitious plans to reduce road casualty rates have not been achieved, so new strategies are being devised. The European Transport Safety Commission (ETSC) is setting out its latest plans. In 2010, the European Union renewed its commitment to improve road safety by setting a target of reducing road deaths by 50% by 2020, compared to 2010 levels. This target followed an earlier target set in 2001 to halve road deaths by 2010. A n
    Read More
  • US researcher develops congestion busting tool
    May 19, 2014
    Dr Shanjiang Zhu, assistant professor of engineering at George Mason University in Virginia, USA, is the recipient of the International Transport Forum’s 2014 Young Researcher of the Year Award. Dr Zhu was selected by an international jury of experts for his work on choosing the best strategies against traffic congestion. He is being presented with the distinction on 21st May in Leipzig, Germany during the opening plenary of the Annual Summit of transport ministers organised by the International Transport F
    Read More
  • EV charging infrastructure – what’s the future?
    November 14, 2022
    Road designers, construction companies and concessionaire firms will increasingly need answers about electric vehicle charging infrastructure and a new website is there to help – EV Charging and Infrastructure, evcandi.com - follows the latest news, technology and regulations.
    Read More

Highlighted Content