Cyclists Save Taxpayers over $200 Million per Year

It’s not like bicycles need any more sustainability cred. They produce no emissions, require no fuel, and can transport people and supplies hundreds of miles a day.  Other than the limited amounts of carbon released by their production and transport, they produce no heat trapping gasses, and help keep an increasingly obese populace in shape.

But if you still find yourself searching for reasons to pedal instead of ride, consider this recent Australian study that finally put a number on just how much benefit all those green cyclists were saving their country: 35 million dollars – and that’s just at the gas pump.

Of course, those are just Australian dollars; that savings translates to a mere $33.25 million here in America.  But added to the $60.78 million saved in congestion and staggering $146.5 million saved in health care costs, I think that could make a tidy little savings for already cash-strapped American tax payers, and could easily cover the costs of expanding US bike lane and bike path systems.