The Benefits of Bicycle, Pedestrian, and Open Space Facilities Economic benefits for local and national economy as well as some less tangible benefits play a major role when investments are made on bicycle, pedestrian, and open space facilities. Some of the economic benefits from such infrastructures come from increased retail sales, conservation and creation of jobs, reduced health care costs, and real estate appreciation. The facilities discussed also ease road traffic and lead to a better preservation of roads. Investing in these facilities also improves the air quality, preserves carbon-based energy, and aids in creating more active communities. I will review five articles that will quantify each benefit and translate them into economic value. The “Economics of Bicycling in SC” article presents a lot of valuable information about the economic and private benefits of bicycling and bicycle lanes as well as the savings of taking advantage of such transportation. The North Carolina Outer Banks made an investment on bike facilities and its return was incredible high resulting in a 9 to 1 annual return. More than fifty percent of the tourists in the Outer Banks said the bike facilities are a large contributing factor for them to return in the future. In Memphis, Tennessee a business owner said that “the [bike] lanes slowed down the traffic and people started noticing the business more”. Since the introduction of the bike lanes in the Memphis district his business has also grown in average thirty percent per year even though the business is art-related, which makes growing very complicated in a tough economy. Due to the bike lanes this same district has boomed with many new businesses, property renovations, higher demand by restaura... ... middle of paper ... ...areas in order create open areas for the community? 15. Do you think bicycle facilities are safe when located on the road between car lanes and parking spots? 16. Some states, such as New Jersey, require kids under certain age to wear helmets when riding bicycles. Do you think adults should be required to do so as well? 17. Would you be more encouraged to ride bicycles if local business offered discounts to cyclists? 18. If required, would you be willing to pay for a bicycle license or some kind of local tax that would be used specifically to support the governments to build/improve bicycle/walking facilities? 19. If you are looking for a new career, how motivated would you be to pursue a engineering career if the state government announced that they were going to invest million of dollars in bicycle, pedestrian, and open space facilities in the next couple decades?
ISTEA Sec. 1033 (1991) authorized the allocation of national highway system funds as well as federal land highway funds to support the construction of bicycle and walking paths adjacent to highway systems and refurbishing bridges for pedestrian use, up to 80 percent of total cost (“Intermodal Surface Transportation”,1991). At the conclusion of the 6 year scope, ISTEAs impact was viewed as minimal, at best. Dilger (2003) cites a lack of public interest by the American people as the catalyst for the “failure”. Americans would much rather drive to their destination as opposed to riding a bicycle or walking (p. 60).
To mitigate the social costs, Wilson offers a variety of suggestions such as raising gasoline taxes, but argues that this will never happen in a nation as democratic as the United States, another concept critics need to grasp (Wilson 22). He names what he thinks are more realistic suggestions such as creating more bike pathways, banning cars from roads with capability of being pedestrian malls, and charging tolls at bridges that go into the city (Wilson 22). He insists that although the social costs are being reduced greatly as time goes on, it will not stop critics from attacking it.
He shows that he is contemplative by letting us know that thought long and hard about this topic and that he has done his research prior to writing this article. The assertive tone is brought into this paper when we realize that Clark shows the readers his confidence on his stance throughout the article. He makes certain that the readers know his authority and that he will not back down on his belief that the L. A’s bike-share system is
MARTA provides economic benefits to the state and national economy. The University of Georgia conducted a study and concluded that MARTA is responsible for about 2.6 billio...
... would then be recorded and the user would be billed accordingly. I envision this system to be similar to paying electric bills. Electricity is not a common public good and should not be because some citizens use more than others. No one should have to pay for the electricity that someone else uses more frequently. This applies to roadways as well, only the people that use them most frequently should have to pay accordingly. The excess money could be used to possibly help fund the research being done on finding alternative fuel methods. I would hope that these strategies would help stop the sprawl issues that face our cities. Public transportation or other forms of transportation could be used to get to work or other destinations. Overall our country’s system of transportation has created and continues to create major problems for the cites from coast to coast.
The great changes in American society that came with the introduction bicycle in the late 19th century are often overshadowed by the influence of the automobile in the following decades. Today, bicycles are often seen as an alternative mode of transportation - a cleaner and more environmentally conscious form of travel. Because of this, it may be difficult to realize the incredible modernizing effects that bicycles had on American society when they were first introduced. Manufacturing and marketing techniques introduced by the bicycle industry were massive steps towards modern industrial practices. In addition, by making individual travel available to many people for the first time, bicycles changed the speed at which life flowed in much of America. Bicycles granted a degree of personal freedom of mobility to many for the first time, and their effect on the women's rights movement of the time was notable. Bicycles were used in war, by police, and by the postal service, among others. In countless walks of life, the availability of personal travel offered by bicycles had an incredible impact on American society.
Los Angeles, California is known worldwide to be a city designed specifically for the use of automobiles. Since Los Angeles County is so expansive, is considered to be one of the largest cities in the U.S and the World. The Government decided to accommodate its landscape very efficiently through the use of freeways by connecting each other from far distances into one by the use of intersections. On the other hand, since the landscape of Los Angeles was made specifically for cars, it has a horrible public transportation that people see car as a necessity rather than luxury. The government has done a magnificent job keeping
Whether it is a legal requirement or not, there are plenty of reasons for all riders to wear a U.S. Department of Transportation-approved helmet.
Have you ever known somebody who was injured in a car accident? What do you think his attitude about seat belts was after they saved his life? If you knew that a seat belt would save your life, you would buckle up! It took years of legislation and public awareness campaigns to make seat belt use mandatory. Now a new topic regarding public safety is coming to light: people are dying or becoming seriously injured in seemingly minor accidents on bicycles when the rider's head strikes the concrete. When the head is unprotected "the brain continues to move in a forward motion while the skull stops moving" (Macyko1), causing trauma. What is needed is a way to protect the brain "by absorbing the energy from the impact, buying extra time for the brain to slow down" (Macyko1). Bicycle riders need to wear helmets to protect their brains from injury, yet unfortunately the public is simply not aware of this need and many people will continue to die or be seriously injured unless something is done. Bicycle helmets save lives and should be required by Arizona State law for riders of all ages.
In this essay, I will discuss the topic of urban public transportation and how it relates to the Church and Wellesley BIA. The nature of transportation in Toronto is a highly complex topic. As discussed in the article Transportation: The Bottleneck of Regional Competitiveness in Toronto, there are many concerns with transportation in regards to international transport, roads, highways, rails, bike lanes, buses etc. (Keil, Roger, Young, 2008). These transportation variables all have a greater economic, health, and environmental impact. The article goes on to describe that mobility in Toronto suffers because its management is uncoordinated, and there is a gap in regional interaction (Keil, Roger, Young 2008). The scope of this essay will be to
4. Helmets are required in many places so you should check with the police in your area.
...er commutes. In analyzing all the traffic congestion policies, I believe this policy alternative will have the greatest impact in reducing traffic congestion. It properly prices the roads in which supply will equal the demand. In addition, it generates revenue for the local government which can mitigate the costs in maintaining the roads and infrastructure.
One of the first factors that contribute to bicycle and helmet safety is learning how to ride a bicycle. Many people learn how to ride a bicycle when they are four or five years old and some do not learn until they are older (Donaldson). Learning how to ride a bicycle is the first and most important step because you must be able to operate and control the bicycle.
A large number of people prefer to drive a car instead of riding a bicycle, in spite the fact that the automobile traffic is a growing problem. It can be incredibly challenging to find an accessible parking space for a car and occasionally costly as well. A car requires a certain amount of open parking space and it is nearly impossible to find an unpaid vacant parking area during business hours. Conversely, a bicycle does not require an exclus...
only thing that can be improved by the use of bicycles. There are several major