Your cycling fallacy is…
“Cycling facilities cost a lot of money and are a poor return on investment”
The response
Good cycling infrastructure does cost money, but it is incorrect to say it is a large amount in the scope of overall transport spending, or that it is a poor return on investment. Cycling infrastructure has been shown to pay back to society more than it costs – a 2014 UK government report cited returns of between 2:1 and 35:1.
Other countries demonstrate returns of 10 times or higher, and London's transport authority reports ratios of 20:1 for cycling investment. Whilst many of the UK figures are for ‘general’ investment in cycling (i.e. including training, etc.) the higher cost of cycling infrastructure is still justified because of the additional numbers drawn to cycling by the provision of safe places to cycle.
The Netherlands spends €500m per year on cycling infrastructure, which generates €19bn in health benefits alone – a 38:1 return on investment.
Related fallacies
Further reading
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6,500 early deaths prevented annually in NL due to cycling levels — Universiteit Utrecht
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Dutch Cycling: Quantifying the Health and Related Economic Benefits — American Journal of Public Health
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The cost-effectiveness of bike lanes in New York City — BMJ
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Delivering the benefits of cycling in Outer London (PDF) — Transport for London
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The Value of Cycling (Survey Report, PDF) — Department for Transport (UK)
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UN Environment Programme: Global Outlook on Walking and Cycling - Policies & realities from around the world — European Union
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Value for money assessment for cycling grants (PDF) — Department for Transport (UK)
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Benefit of building space for cycling far outweighs cost, says DfT — Road.cc
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Danish study outlines economic savings made by building a safe cycling network — Cycling Industry News
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NICE: New roads should prioritise cycling and walking — BBC
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Bike lanes prove that transportation solutions can be cheap and effective — The Toronto Star
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Bike lanes are a sound public health investment — Reuters
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World Health Organisation Global Action Plan draft urges priority for active travel investment — Cycling Industry News
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United Nations calls for “at least 20%” of transport budgets for cycling and walking — Cycling Industry News
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Scrapped HS2 bike path 'five times better value than HS2 itself' — The Guardian
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Cycling Report for The Capital Region of Denmark — Cycling Embassy of Denmark
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How the Dutch love for cycling is benefitting the nation — European Cyclists’ Federation
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Cycling infrastructure is cheaper to build than not to build, part two. — A View From The Cycle Path
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Cyclists are ill less often – Dutch companies gain competitive advantage — A View From The Cycle Path
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Cycling infrastructure is cheaper to build than not to build — A View From The Cycle Path
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Cycle paths are "too expensive" — A View From The Cycle Path
Deutsch
Français
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Infrastructures cyclables: un impressionnant retour sur investissement — Le gouvernement du Grand-Duché de Luxembourg
Čeština
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