How much are we walking and biking?

Want to know how much people are walking and biking in your state or city? Check out the new benchmarks report from the Alliance for Biking and Walking.

The report compiles data from across the U.S., making the connections between biking and walking and numerous factors that include demographics, infrastructure, public health and economic impacts. The report, which is updated every two years, provides stats for all 50 states and major U.S. cities.

Some findings from this year’s report include:

• Although fewer than 3 percent of Americans bike or walk to work, this number is on the rise, especially in cities, where rates of biking and walking commutes are nearly twice statewide rates.
• Low-income people, people of color and young people are more likely to make trips by walking or biking.
• States with higher rates of walking and biking show lower rates of diabetes, hypertension and obesity.
• “Complete Streets” — streets designed for cyclists and pedestrians as well as vehicles — resulted in increased property values in eight out of 10 cases studied.

The Alliance for Biking and Walking is a coalition of over 200 groups that advocate for bike- and pedestrian-friendly communities. It produces the benchmarks report in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Healthy Community Design Initiative.

See the report at www.bikewalkallianceorg/resources/benchmarking.

Rose Jenkins is a frequent contributor to Saving Land, the Alliance’s quarterly magazine.