Among the many reasons the AARP supports bicycling is because “building bike infrastructure creates an average of 11.4 jobs for every $1 million spent,” according to AARP Livable Communities.
It’s not only for economic development. Bike infrastructure makes streets safer, and AARP wants more cities to implement bike infrastructure.
One of the things we’ve found with bike infrastructure is that it makes streets safer for everyone, not just bicyclists,” Barbara McCann, director of Safety, Energy & Environment for the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), told AARP.
AARP Livable Communities and the Walkable and Livable Communities Institute developed a Bicycling fact sheet with tips for making a community more bicycle-friendly and examples of bicycling features, like dedicated bike lanes, that can help improve a community’s safety and economic success. It’s designed for policymakers, transportation planners and civic and community leaders to use in educating about the benefits of bike infrastructure.
There are strategies for mythbusting, like how to counter the belief that “bicycling is for fit middle-class white guys” and success stories, like the eight-mile Indianapolis, Ind., cultural trail.
Explore and download AARP’s Bicycling and more Gov1 bike infrastructure resources below.
Bicycling Fact Sheet by Ed Praetorian on Scribd
