I rather frivolously, whimsically, and very non-rigorously calculate a value of $16,000 of free parking benefit per mile (per year) of bike lane.

Autocase for Buildings has a Triple Bottom Line Cost Benefit Analysis (TBL-CBA) for bicycle infrastructure. If you are interested in bike infrastrcture, you might want to attend American Public Works Association webinar “Bicycle Infrastructure – Where the Rubber Meets the Road” on Wednesday, May 18, 2017 11am-1pm ET.

Cycling Benefits & Bike Infrastructure

By providing buildings with bicycling infrastructure and encouraging cycling and driving less:

• Carbon emission are reduced
• Air quality is improved
• Congestion is reduced
• Accident costs are reduced
• Vehicle operating costs fall
• And bike infrastructure in a building will increase occupancy rates and yield a rental rate premium

That’s a pretty comprehensive list of benefits. And we apply them to many types of bike infrastructure:

• Bike Racks
• Bike Cages
• Bike Lockers
• Wall Mounts
• Showers
• Weather Protection
• Bike Lanes
• Signs

However as a cyclist I am always looking for a better way to make the case for cycling infrastructure.

Non-Rigorous Whimsical, Frivolous Analysis

The following proposes an addition to our TBL-CBA and uses a NRWFA (Non-Rigorous Whimsical, Frivolous Analysis) approach.

Here is what I observe:

• Parking is valuable.
• While drivers don’t pay for it, they do benefit.
• In a 9.5mi/40 min. commute I see this on average 6 times (95% confidence interval 1-10).

How to value the benefit to car drivers of the free parking that is available to them for every mile of bike lane the city installs?

• Costs per space $670- $4,000 annually (estimates vary from the low case that assumes free land to the cost in central business districts). (Transportation Cost and Benefit Analysis II – Parking Costs Victoria Transport Policy Institute)
• External costs $1,100 per year (Ibid. N.B. Not including increased cyclist risk).

So there you have it – between $1,000 and $3,000 of free parking benefit per year per mile of bike lane.

A Less Take On Whimsical Bicycle Infrastructure

P.S. I am presenting to the American Public Works Association (APWA) webinar “Bicycle Infrastructure – Where the Rubber Meets the Road” on Wednesday, May 18, 2017 11am-1pm ET. It is sponsored by the APWA Center for Sustainability (C4S). This Click Listen and Learn will address the challenges and opportunities of bicycle infrastructure, including: – The economic benefits of cycling – Ways to retrofit existing infrastructure – Integrating maintenance and operations – Serving both commuter and recreational users – Innovative designs such as buffered bike lanes and painted bicycle boxes After attending this program, participants will be better able to: – Overcome the barriers to bicycle infrastructure. – Explore innovative ways to create and enhance bicycle infrastructure. – Evaluate the economic factors to consider when designing and implementing bicycle infrastructure. This program has been approved for .2 CEUs or 2 PDHs. Please note there is a $7 fee per non-member individual requesting CEUs (there is no fee for members).