May 1 marks the start of National Bike Month, an annual celebration of bicycling sponsored by the League of American Bicyclists.
Established in 1956, National Bike Month aims to showcase the benefits of bicycling and encourage more people to hit the roads and trails on their bikes. One week of the month (May 15-19) is also designated as Bike to Work Week, highlighting the growing number of people who choose to commute by bike.
Minnesota ranks as the second most bike-friendly state in the U.S., according to the League. We have 18 officially designated bike-friendly communities, 84 bike-friendly businesses, and 4 bike-friendly universities, including the University of Minnesota.
For many years, researchers at the U of M have been conducting bicycle-related studies focused on traffic, planning, safety, health, and more. This work has included:
- Developing a comprehensive understanding of the economic impact and health effects of bicycling in Minnesota, with project components focused on bicycle commuting, the bicycling industry and bike events, and the use of trails, roads, and other biking infrastructure
- Creating new methods and tools to help transportation engineers estimate bicycle and pedestrian traffic volumes and assess nonmotorized travelers’ exposure to risk
- Identifying the differences between biking and walking to improve transportation planning
- Analyzing changes in walking and biking behavior in the Twin Cities
- Exploring the connection between the overall quality of a city’s bicycle infrastructure network and bike commuting
- Investigating air pollution risks for cyclists and pedestrians
Bicycle month is a great initiatives. There has to be more focus on that aspect of the transportation system. It can save us for a lot of pollution, if we take it seriously. But there has to be done more. Taking inspiration for country like Denmark, would be a good step in the right direction.