Making streets less stressful for walkers and bikers is strongly associated with more walking and biking, and new research from Maryland helps clarify where those effects are most pronounced. Building on prior research showing that lower-stress street environments are linked to more walking and biking, this study found that reducing traffic stress has the biggest impact for shorter trips and in places where alternatives to driving already exist. for shorter trips and in places where alternatives to driving already exist.
biking
Safer infrastructure can drive a surge in cycling
Acknowledging that highway investments drive up car use and traffic, transportation professionals and advocates have grown more interested in accounting for induced demand in transportation investments. But the laws of induced demand are not limited to highways. As several cities have shown, investing in bicycle infrastructure can increase bike use by 100% or more.