This document summarizes a workshop that explored how increasing bicycle infrastructure in New Albany, Indiana could impact bicycle commuting rates and public health outcomes. It describes three scenarios: the current situation with low infrastructure/commuting; a scenario with more lanes and paths that could double commuters; and a scenario with infrastructure on all major roads that could increase commuters five-fold. Scientific studies were cited showing that more infrastructure correlates with more riders and better health outcomes like reduced obesity and diabetes rates. Cost-benefit analyses of infrastructure in other cities found benefits outweigh costs in reduced healthcare and fuel costs or increased safety.

1. Summary of “Making the Most of
Bike Commuting in Southern
Indiana”
Implications of scientific research on
bicycling infrastructure for bicycle
commuting in New Albany
June 20, 2013
New Albany, Indiana
Eric Vance Martin, M.P.A.
Floyd Action Network - Making the most of bike commuting - June 20, 2013 – Eric Vance Martin

2. Approach
• The purpose of the workshop was to imagine
how the world would be today if New Albany
had built different amounts of bicycle
infrastructure in the past.
• The outcomes considered were the number of
bicycle commuters and population prevalence
of certain health outcomes.

3. Approach, continued
• The results of two scientific studies were
applied to real New Albany data to predict the
outcomes.
• A wide variety of other benefits of increasing
bicycle infrastructure, such as possible
increases in leisure bicycling and walking,
bicycle commuters coming into New Albany
from outside Floyd County, and so on, are not
considered.

4. Key lessons from the scientific
literature on bicycling infrastructure
• Current infrastructure favoring cars and excluding
bicycles is the result of policy decisions.
• More bicycle infrastructure is associated with more
people riding bicycles.
• A connected infrastructure network is important.
• More bicycle ridership is associated with
improvements in population-level physical activity
and health outcomes.
• Bicycle infrastructure is a worthwhile investment.

5. Current situation
• About 0.8% of New Albany commuters
commute by bike.
• New Albany has about 8.7 miles of on-street
bike lanes and off-street bike paths.
• Adult obesity: 31%
• Adult type 2 diabetes: 10%

6. Alternative scenarios for levels of
bicycle infrastructure and commuting
• Using a model by Buehler and Pucher (2012) and holding
other variables at national averages, the present and two
alternative scenarios are imagined.
• The model predicts the possible level of bicycle commuting if
different combinations of bicycle infrastructure had been built
in the past.
• Note that other combinations of infrastructure are possible.
• The second alternative scenario (Scenario B) imagines a world
in which all collector and arterial roads in the current network
have on-street bicycle facilities. This would be better than
most cities in the United States.

7. Application of Buehler & Pucher’s
model to New Albany
Scenario
Now A B
On-street bicycle lanes (miles) 3.6 10.8 43.2
Multi-use path miles 5.1 10.2 20.4
Estimated number of bike
commuters 126 233 518
Bike commuters as % of current
population 0.3% 0.6% 1.4%
Bike commuters as a % of all
commuters (w/in NA and from NA
to Clark and Jefferson) 0.8% 1.4% 3.2%
Floyd Action Network - Making the most of bike commuting - June 20, 2013 – Eric Vance Martin

8. Health Effects
• Applies a study by Pucher et al. (2010) that
predicts population health outcomes for
physical activity, obesity, and diabetes from
the number of bicycle commuters.
Floyd Action Network - Making the most of bike commuting - June 20, 2013 – Eric Vance Martin

9. 49.2
26.0
8.4
49.6
25.4
8.1
50.5
24.1
7.6
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Recommended Daily
Activity
Adult obesity Adult type 2 diabetes
New Albany predicted population health outcomes under
different bicycle infrastructure scenarios
Now
A
B

10. Safety
• When the number of bike commuters is at a
low level and then increases, the number of
bike crashes that cause injury initially rises.
• However, generally, as the number of bicyclists
rises, individual risk declines.
• This is called “safety in numbers.”
• Portland, Oregon, illustration.

11. Floyd Action Network - Making the most of bike commuting - June 20, 2013 – Eric Vance Martin
Source: City of Portland

12. Costs and benefits
• Cost-benefit analysis of bicycle infrastructure
Portland, Oregon (Gotschi, 2011)
• Considered infrastructure costs, and a small number of
benefits (fuel and health care savings in one
analysis, and lives saved in another analysis)
• Benefit-cost ratio for health care and fuel savings: 1.3
to 3.8 (i.e., at least $1.30 in benefits for every $1.00 in
costs)
• Benefit-cost ratio for value of lives saved: 20.2 to 53.3
(i.e., at least $20.20 in benefits for every $1.00 in costs)
Floyd Action Network - Making the most of bike commuting - June 20, 2013 – Eric Vance Martin

13. References
• Buehler, R. & Pucher, J. (2012). Cycling to work in 90
large American cities: New evidence on the role of bike
paths and lanes. Transportation 39, 409-432.
• Gotschi, T. (2011). Costs and Benefits of Bicycling
Investments in Portland, Oregon. Journal Of Physical
Activity & Health, 8S49-S58.
• Pucher, J., Buehler, R., & Bassett, D. R. (2010). Walking
and Cycling to Health: A Comparative Analysis of
City, State, and International Data. American Journal Of
Public Health, 100(10), 1986-1992.
Floyd Action Network - Making the most of bike commuting - June 20, 2013 – Eric Vance Martin