Why Bike-Share is Really Very Safe
One key element of providing transportation options, including walkability, is actually providing options-- residents need to have a choice between driving, walking, biking, or taking transit, and those all need to be safe, convenient choices. One thing that provides more choice is bike share-- Eugene recently received a grant to create a bike share system, currently in the works. New research also shows that bike share bikes are actually safer, too.
“But the systems have already amassed a loyal following: Minneapolis’s Nice Ride has seen nearly 800,000 trips since 2011, D.C.’s Capital Bikeshare has seen 5.9 million, and BABS almost 350,000.
Remarkably, though, none of these trips have concluded in fatal accidents on the road, says a new analysis from the Mineta Transportation Institute.
This is not because cycling has suddenly become less dangerous: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says more than 900 bicyclists died in 2013. The relationship holds when the researchers examine non-fatal collisions, too. ”