The Federal Highway Administration Office of Human Environment has published a white paper examining potential methods for evaluating the economic benefits of non-motorized transportation.
The economic benefits of bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure and programming investments discussed in the report include:
- Commute cost savings for bicyclists and pedestrians
- Direct benefits to bicycle and tourism-related businesses
- Indirect economic benefits due to changing consumer behavior
- Individual and societal cost savings associated with health and environmental benefits
The report reviews methods for analyzing these different economic benefits at the project, neighborhood, and larger community scale, highlighting case studies from Minneapolis, Toronto, New York City, and the State of Vermont. A review of previous economic evaluations of non-motorized transportation investments and available analysis tools leads the authors to conclude that it is important for researchers to choose evaluation methods and scales of analysis appropriate to the project or program they intend to evaluate. Researchers should also consider the availability of baseline data and control data when designing an evaluation approach.