When we walk or bike, we are healthier, we live longer and we have a more positive outlook. We spend less time in traffic congestion and the air we breathe is cleaner. We greet each other and provide “eyes on the street,” an important crime deterrent, as we walk or pedal through the neighborhood. Communities where we can walk and bicycle are the kinds of places most people want to live.

Eight million U.S. households do not have a car. As many as 30 percent of us cannot drive because we are too young, too old, or physically impaired (1). For those who cannot or choose not to drive, bicycling and walking provide crucial access to goods, services and recreation.

We could easily walk or bike more: Half the trips we make are less than three miles, 40 percent are less than two miles, and 28 percent are less than one mile (2). Yet 75 percent of trips of less than one mile are made by car (3).

Rates of biking and walking in the United States and in Minnesota, even among children, are very low and decreasing. As fewer of us walk and bicycle, society becomes focused on driving as the sole means of travel, communities become less safe and appealing for bicyclists, pedestrians and transit users—and the number of us walking and bicycling decreases even more.

Rates of bicycling and walking

In 2001, 8 percent of trips made by U.S. adults were on foot and less than 1 percent were by bicycle (4). According to the 2000 U.S. Census (which only measures trips to and from work), 3 percent of adults walked to work and less than 1 percent biked (5). Minnesota’s rates of bicycling and walking are similar to those of the rest of the United States.

Minneapolis the highest rate of bicycle travel to work—2 percent—of any large U.S. city (6). This may be due in part to Minneapolis’ extensive network of trails and dedicated bicycle lanes leading to and through the downtown area.

Children’s rates of bicycling and walking have declined 37 percent in the past two decades (7). Ninety percent of trips by children today are made as a passenger in a car. This low level of walking and biking impacts children’s health, independence and ability to learn walking and bicycling skills.

Safety

Nationally, pedestrians and bicyclists make about 6 percent of total trips, but they accounted for approximately 14 percent of all traffic fatalities in 2000-2001 (8). An average of 50 Minnesota pedestrians were killed each year from 1996 to 2000 (9). Pedestrian traffic crashes are the second leading cause of unintentional injury related death among children ages 5 to 14 (10).

Health impacts

Americans’ low levels of bicycling and walking reflect our low rates of physical activity generally—which carries alarming health implications. The American Medical Association links decreased opportunities for daily activities like bicycling and walking with rising obesity levels (11). Lack of physical activity is second only to the effects of tobacco as a cause of death, contributing to the incidence of high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, and other serious diseases (12). The Minnesota Department of Health estimates that $495 million was spent in the state in 2000 treating diseases that could have been prevented by regular physical exercise (13).

Potential to increase bicycling and walking

A nationwide survey on walking conducted in 2002 found that over half of respondents reported that they would like to walk more for exercise, for fun, and to run errands. Respondents reported two main reasons for not walking more: “things are too far to get to” and “not enough time” (14).

Nearly 80 percent of respondents agree that bike trails and on-street bicycle lanes are important to creating safe communities for children (15). In another survey, 74 percent of home buyers said the presence of walking and biking trails is very or extremely important in their choice of location (16).

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