Environment
Active transportation via walking and biking results in decreased usage and dependency on motor vehicles and nonrenewable resources. This leads to reduced greenhouse gas emissions as well as air pollution. Integrating considerations for environmental impacts when planning for pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure can also help reduce stormwater and mitigate flooding.
- According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the transportation sector accounted for the largest share of greenhouse gas emissions (28%) in the United States in 2016. Light-duty vehicles, which includes passenger vehicles and light-duty trucks, account for the majority of transportation sector emissions at 60%.
- A 2015 report from the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy describes how a High Shift Cycling scenario with a strong cycling emphasis can reduce urban transport emissions by 11% by 2050.
- Building infrastructure for vehicles, such as streets and parking lots, increases the impervious surface of an area which can exacerbate stormwater runoff, urban flooding, and the urban heat island effect. Promoting pedestrian and bike infrastructure provides an opportunity to integrate green infrastructure into street design and produce co-benefits for urban heat island, stormwater, and flood mitigation as well as pedestrian health and safety.