Study shows Americans are now pedaling and walking in record numbers

An ongoing study by the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center,“The National Biking and Walking Study: a 15-year Status Report,” shows that more and more trips are now being made by bicycling and walking. According to the study, the number of trips taken by bike and foot have more than doubled in the last 20 years; bicycling trips have increased from 1.7 billion in 1990 to 4 billion in 2009, while walking trips have also risen from 18 billion to 42.5 billion during the same span.

Even better, safety data shows that the number of fatalities for each of these modes have decreased in the last 15 years. The boost in bicycling and walking can be credited to an increase of Federal, State and local programs such as Complete Streets and Safe Routes to School, among many others, that have promoted bicycling and walking by providing the resources and infrastructure necessary to making the change to more healthy, fun, and sustainable modes of transportation. View a copy of the report.