New Study Quantifies Climate Impacts of Protected Bike Lane Networks in Middle-Income Cities

Image: Bike path in Bogotá, Gabriel L Guerrero, Adobe Stock

A new report released by the Institute for Transportation & Development Policy with funding from the FIA Foundation, found that networks of protected bicycle lanes in middle-income cities measurably reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The report reviews cycling lane use data from Guangzhou, China and Bogotá, Colombia and measures how the shift from other modes of transportation creates carbon-reducing impacts.

In Guangzhou and Bogotá, respectively, networks of protected bike lanes prevented the emission of 16,000 and 22,000 tonnes CO2eq of GHGs per year. The report likens this amount of emissions to the amount of carbon that could be sequestered by planting 300,000 to 400,000 new trees every year. The report provides resources that allow anyone to predict how a network of protected bike lanes could impact their city.

The report also points to how improved bicycle infrastructure can save citizens money and is an important tool for public health. Bike advocates often point to climate impact as a benefit of improved infrastructure (and therefore more cycling and fewer cars), but this report is one the first to measure the resulting reduction of emissions.