Your cycling fallacy is…
“People cycling cause congestion / Providing for cycling won't ease congestion”
The response
In general, congestion is nothing to do with cycling, but is a direct function of the volume of motor traffic on the roads. Were this not the case, then we would only see congestion on urban roads, and never on motorways (where nobody cycles).
Congestion on roads is due to motor traffic, and in particular, queues at junctions. While driving behind someone cycling is going to slow you down if you're in a car or on a bus, it is unlikely this is going to add any overall delay to your journey. You will arrive at the tail end of that queue in exactly the same position – driving behind someone cycling has not cost you any extra time.
Reallocating space on roads for cycling will actually make roads more efficient at moving people – a typical motor vehicle lane can carry around 2,000 people per hour, but the same space allocated for cycling infrastructure could carry around 10,000 people per hour.
Related fallacies
Further reading
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Exploring the link between the neighborhood typologies, bicycle infrastructure and commuting cycling over time and the potential impact on commuter GHG emissions — ScienceDirect
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Bike lanes don't clog up our roads, they keep London moving — The Guardian
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When Adding Bike Lanes Actually Reduces Traffic Delays — CityLab
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Study finds London's most congested roads AREN'T on cycle routes — Road.cc
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Why bike lanes are good for drivers — and everyone else — The Toronto Star
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Extra traffic prompts longer journey times on widened M25 — TransportXtra
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New York City's Protected Bike Lanes Have Actually Sped Up Its Car Traffic — FastCoExist
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Controversial cycle lane boosts traffic flow — Calgary Herald
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This is Austin's three-year plan to fight congestion with bikes — People for Bikes
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Urban myth busting: Congestion, idling, and carbon emissions — City Observatory
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Capacity — The Cycling Embassy of Great Britain
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Why are politicians getting away with bike lane claims based on hearsay? — The Guardian
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The effect of cycle usage on traffic jams — A View From The Cycle Path
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Walking, Cycling and Congestion - 15 Quick Facts — CIVITAS
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£6billion smart motorway project is dubbed a waste of money — Highways Industry
Deutsch
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Radwege helfen Stau vermeiden — Radfahren in Stuttgart
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Niederlande bekämpft Stau mit dem Rad — ZEIT Online (Blog)
Español
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Estudio comparativo de la bicicleta y otros medios de transporte en relación al tiempo invertido en desplazamiento por ciudad — Boocabikes
Français
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Quand les pistes cyclables améliorent le trafic automobile — Carfree
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Le vélo, un outil formidable pour décongestionner les villes — Pro Velo
Čeština
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15 stručných důkazů Jaký je vliv pěší a cyklistické dopravy na problémy s dopravní přetížeností měst? — Dobrá města
українська
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