Cycle highways pay for themselves, say researchers

The researchers made a cost/benefit analysis for the Antwerp-Mechelen (pictured) and Leuven-Brussels bike highways. The cost of construction of a path is between €300,000 and €800,000 a kilometre. They are used by between 600 and 4,400 cyclists a day for 20 years without much maintenance costs involved.

Cycling lowers the risk of conditions like diabetes, depression and dementia, which can be converted into saved health-care costs, said Vito. The highways also reduce air and noise pollution, congestion and traffic accidents, leading to still lower health-care costs and lower economic as well.

In the least favourable case, in which only 600 cyclists a day use the highway, the savings amount to twice the construction costs over the 20-year period. In the most favourable case, with 4,400 cyclists a day, the savings are 10 to 14 times higher than the construction costs.

Even if it’s assumed that the cyclists didn’t drive a car previously and thus didn’t cause CO2 emissions or congestion, the savings outweigh the construction costs, Vito said. In their report, published in the Journal of Transport & Health, the researchers advise further investment in bicycle highways.

Photo: Sven Van Haezendonck/Gazet Van Antwerpen