The Business Case for Active Transportation

1 The Business case for Active Transportation The Economic benefits of Walking and Cycling Richard Campbell, Margaret Wittgens Better Environmentally Sound Transportation March 2004. For information please contact: Go for Green Unit 16 5480 Canotek Road Gloucester, Ontario K1J 9H6 Canada Toll Free: 1-888-822-2848. Phone: 613-748-1800. Fax: 613-748-0357. TABLE OF CONTENTS. Table of Contents _____ 1. List of Tables _____ 3. Executive Summary _____ 4. 1. Introduction _____ 5. 2. Current State _____ 6. Walking _____ 6. Cycling_____ 6. Trip Distance and Time _____ 6. 3. Potential _____ 8. Climate _____ 8. Active Transportation Use in Various Cities _____ 8. Active Transportation Use by Country _____ 9. Barriers _____ 10.

2 Demand_____ 10. Increases Following Infrastructure Improvements _____ 11. 4. Economic Benefits_____ 12. Transportation benefits _____ 12. Congestion Reduction_____ 12. Roadway Cost Savings _____ 13. Road Safety Savings _____ 15. User Savings _____ 16. Parking Cost Reduction _____ 17. Environmental benefits _____ 18. Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reductions _____ 18. Air Pollution Reduction _____ 19. Noise Reduction _____ 21. Water Quality _____ 22. Land Use_____ 22. Social benefits _____ 23. Increased Mobility _____ 23. Increased Sense of Community _____ 23. Barrier Effect Reduction_____ 23. Improved Liveability _____ 23. Regional Economic Impacts _____ 23. Industry _____ 24. Bicycle Sales_____ 24. Workplace benefits _____ 25.

3 Health benefits _____ 26. Air Quality _____ 26. Physical Activity_____ 26. 1. Tourism _____ 28. Walking and Hiking Tourism _____ 29. Cycle tourism _____ 29. Retail Sales Improvements _____ 31. Property Values_____ 32. 5. Significant Gaps in Research _____ 33. Canada-specific data _____ 33. Tracking of non-commuting trips_____ 33. Level of resources needed to attract a certain level of Active Transportation usage 33. Tourism in Canada_____ 33. Urban Tourism _____ 33. Rentals _____ 33. Sales Walking Gear _____ 33. Other forms of Active Transportation _____ 33. Quantification of social benefits _____ 34. Pedestrian Improvements in Canada _____ 34. 6. benefits of Federal Investment In Active Transportation _____ 35.

4 Transport Canada _____ 35. Economic _____ 35. Social _____ 36. Environmental_____ 36. Environment Canada _____ 37. GHG Emissions Reduction Benefits_____ 37. Air Pollution Reduction benefits _____ 37. Water Pollution Reduction benefits _____ 38. Other Environmental benefits _____ 38. Infrastructure Canada _____ 38. Prosperity of Our Cities _____ 39. Competitiveness of Our Economy _____ 40. The Well-being of Our Citizens _____ 40. Environmental_____ 41. Health Canada _____ 41. Improved Air Quality _____ 41. Increased Physical Activity_____ 42. Road Safety benefits _____ 42. 7. Summary of Economic benefits _____ 43. Summary of benefits at Current Mode Shares _____ 43. Summary of benefits at Target Mode Share _____ 44.

5 8. Conclusion _____ 45. 2. LIST OF TABLES. Table 1: Distances Cycled One Way as a Percentage of Total Trips in Vancouver .. 6. Table 2: Active Commuting Time and Distance .. 7. Table 3: Active Transportation Average 7. Table 4: Average Time Spent Travelling .. 7. Table 5: Commuting Mode Shares in Canadian Census Metropolitan 8. Table 6: Mode Share in Selected Cities World Wide .. 9. Table 7: Mode Share in Selected 9. Table 8: benefits of Congestion Reduction .. 13. Table 9: benefits of Congestion Reduction per Year .. 13. Table 10: benefits of Roadway Cost 14. Table 11: benefits of Roadway Cost Savings per 15. Table 12: benefits of Road Safety Savings .. 15. Table 13: benefits of Road Safety Savings per 16.

6 Table 14: User 16. Table 15: User Savings per Year in Canada .. 17. Table 16: benefits of Reduction of Parking 17. Table 17: benefits of Reduction of Parking Costs per 18. Table 18: Benefit of GHG Reductions at $10 per Tonne .. 19. Table 19: Benefit of GHG Reductions at $50 per Tonne .. 19. Table 20: Benefit of GHG Reductions Per Year in Canada .. 19. Table 21: benefits of Reduction in Air Pollution .. 20. Table 22: benefits of Reduction in Air Pollution per Year in Canada .. 21. Table 23: benefits of Reduction in 21. Table 24: benefits of Reduction in Noise per Year in Canada .. 21. Table 25: benefits of Reduction in Water 22. Table 26: benefits of Reduction in Water Pollution per Year .. 22. Table 27: Regional Economic Impacts of $1 Million Expenditure.

7 24. Table 28: Increased Regional Economic Impacts a Year per 100,000 households .. 24. Table 29: Workplace benefits of Increased Physical Activity per 1% Mode 26. Table 30: Workplace benefits of Increased Physical Activity per Year in 26. Table 31: Health benefits of Increased Physical Activity .. 28. Table 32: Health benefits of Increased Physical Activity per Year in Canada .. 28. Table 33: Yearly Return on Investment of Selected 30. Table 34: Bicycle Tourism benefits .. 30. Table 35: Effects on Trade of 18 Pedestrianisation Schemes .. 31. Table 36: User Savings per Year .. 35. Table 37: External Transportation Savings per Year in 36. Table 38: Social benefits per Year in Canada .. 36. Table 39: Environmental benefits per Year in Canada.

8 36. Table 40: GHG Emissions Reduction benefits per Year in 37. Table 41: Air Pollution Reduction benefits per Year in 37. Table 42: Water Pollution Reduction benefits per Year in Canada .. 38. Table 43: Yearly Return on Investment of Selected Trails in 39. Table 44: Increased Regional Economic Impacts a Year per 100,000 households .. 40. Table 45: Economic Competitiveness benefits .. 40. Table 46: Well-being benefits per Year .. 40. Table 47: Environmental benefits per Year .. 41. Table 48: Air Pollution Reduction benefits per 42. Table 49: Health benefits of Physical Activity pre 42. Table 50: Road Safety benefits per Year .. 42. Table 51: Economic benefits of Active Transportation at 2001 Mode 43.

9 Table 52: Economic benefits of Active Transportation at Victoria's Mode Share .. 44. 3. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY. Active Transportation provides many societal and personal benefits . Most of these benefits also have a positive economic impact. Active Transportation consists of human-powered forms of travel such as walking, cycling, using a wheel chair, in-line skating, skate boarding, cross-country skiing, canoeing and kayaking. The most popular forms are walking and cycling and will be the forms examined here. Currently of Canadians walk to work while bicycle. Victoria, has the highest levels of Active Transportation use in Canada with walking accounting for of trips and cycling accounting for of trips.

10 Many countries around the world have significantly higher levels of Active Transportation use. In the Netherlands, walking accounts of 19% of trips while cycling accounts for 27% and in Sweden, walking accounts for 39% of trips while cycling accounts for 10%. Clearly there is room for growth, especially in cycling trips. A significant percentage of motor vehicle trips are of a distance that is easy to cycle or walk. There is a very high degree of willingness among Canadians to walk or ride a bike instead of driving, with 82% willing to walk more and 66% willing to cycle more given appropriate facilities. Safety concerns are one of the main reasons Canadians do not cycle more. While actual safety and perception of safety may differ, there is a severe lack of safe Active Transportation infrastructure in Canada.