The Benefits of Bicycle, Pedestrian, and Open Space Facilities

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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?

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