Why does cycling matter?

There are many co-benefits to cycling and micromobility- including climate change mitigation, health, social impact, accessibility and equality.

Transport is responsible for nearly a third of greenhouse gas emissions
Almost two-thirds of urban trips are less than 5km, yet more than half of these are travelled by motorised vehicle.
Truly sustainable mobility must include a much larger share of cycling - to access public transport, school, work and everyday needs
Cycling is the most energy efficient means of transport
Over short distances, cycling, micro-mobility and walking are the most effective way to reduce fossil fuel emissions and consumption
Cycling and micro-mobility are a viable solution to improve air quality
Over the whole lifecyle of a vehicle, a bicycle use much less materials than other vehicles, including electric cars. A single Tesla long-range battery of 540 kilograms has the same number of cells as around 150 e-bike batteries.

Source: Partnership for Active Travel and Health, “Make way for walking and cycling” 2022

Cycling and walking are central to a healthy population
Cycling 30 minutes per day is enough to reduce the risk of premature death by 20-30%
Worldwide obesity has nearly tripled since 1975. In 2016, 39% of adults (1.9 billion people) were overweight while a further 13% (650 million people) were obese. This represents a massive global burden on health budgets [Obesity and overweight (who.int)]
Physical inactivity is a significant factor in the global increase in non-communicable diseases, accounting for approximately 5% of the overall disease burden worldwide.
In many countries, particularly developed nations, the majority of the population does not reach the recommended daily physical activity levels.
Active transport, such as walking and cycling, are effective at increasing physical activity on a broad scale and lessen the impact of non-communicable diseases.
A study in Australia, that took into account all aspects of health, including mental health, found that the economic health value of:
- a single kilometre walked is US$ 3.65/ Euro 3.35,
- a single kilometre cycled is USD $1.00/ Euro 0.90 in health benefits

Bicycles, scooters, e-scooters and e-bikes are much cheaper than owning cars
The Australian Government estimates that the average household cost of car ownership is $10,000 a year - once you take into account the purchase cost, depreciation, interest on a loan, insurance, road tolls, petrol or electricity, maintenance and parking (souce: BITRE)
A large percentage of the population can't drive - children, seniors, people living with a disability, people who can't afford a car - as well as people who chose not to drive
Cycling and micro-mobility provide equitable access to more economic opportunities for broad cross-section of the community
Cycling and micro-mobility increase the catchment of public transport - in the Netherlands around half of all train trips start or end with a bicycle ride