Help for cities in these tough times - building bike lanes creates jobs

Today U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood commented on his blog Fast Lane that "pedestrian and bicycle projects created nearly twice as many jobs per dollar spent than traditional road projects."

Secretary LaHood, who many bicycle advocates know from his famous table top speech at last year's National Bike Summit, reported that the city of Baltimore found that on-street bike lanes and pedestrian measures create jobs than either road upgrades or road resurfacing. He also reported on an article in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health that shows that public support for street scale urban design that promotes physical activity is increasing.

Secretary LaHood has commented before in support of pedestrian and cycling issues but it reassuring to hear the secretary also make an economic argument for increased bicycling infrastructure.

"Putting the two studies together creates a powerful argument for continuing the Department of Transportation's support for bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure projects. Even as these investments increase mobility, they also generate economic growth. And, people are demanding them for their communities."

For more information, read his post dated January 13th as well as his comments from last year's National Bike Summit.