Research conducted at the University of Wisconsin about the potential for bicycling to improve air pollution, increase physical activity, and improve health has been attracting a considerable amount of articles in the media, including newspapers, public radio, and magazines. The team looked at the benefits of using bicycling to make short trips, instead of driving a car (the same strategy that GSU Bikes advocates). Their study calculated the effect on 11 midwestern cities.
The positive effects included a reduction in pollution and billions of dollars saved from health care costs as a result of increased physical activity and reduced exposure to fine particles in the air.
Georgia State and downtown Atlanta can learn from this study. If we work together to make Atlanta friendly to bicycling and walker and move away from a car-centered environment, we can make positive impacts on the air and our health. We can make Atlanta a more livable and desirable place.
You can read the published study in the online journal Environmental Health Perspectives.
