Bike Lanes are a Sound Public Health Investment

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Researchers evaluated the cost-effectiveness of investments in bike lanes in New York and found that the return on investment is far better than many preventive approaches in medicine, like dialysis or HIV/AIDS screening and treatment.

According to the new study out of the Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, every $1,297 invested in bike lanes provided benefits equivalent to one additional year of life at full health. Compare this to $50,000 spent on HIV/AIDS screening and treatment and $129,000 spent on dialysis to provide benefits equivalent to one additional year of life at full health.

Read about a pilot bike lane project that received permanent upgrades.

“For bike lanes, the cost per QALY [quality-adjust life years] is $1,300, a little bit higher than vaccines but way lower than most medical interventions that we have in healthcare,” Dr. Babak Mohit of the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University in New York said according to one source. “We’re finding more and more of these social interventions are not directly medically related but have an extremely positive effect on giving us more life years.”

In order to improve Latino health, it is critical to ensure Latino kids and families have access to safe places to ride their bikes. Paint does not make a bike lane safe.

Read about temporary protected bike lanes.

Read about the urgency in fighting childhood obesity with physical activity.