Originally Posted by randya
What a bunch of BS
Bicycles don't cause congestion, they help relieve it.
Motorists kill 40K+ of their own each year. How safe and friendly is that?
http://www.vtpi.org/whoserd.pdf
TAble 3 of that document appears to understate dramatically the costs imposed by bicycles. it is an advocacy document which would be easy to debunk. For example, it says that bicycles have no congestion costs. This is obvious nonsense, because it doesn't count the costs to motorists delayed behind bicyclists on two-lane roads. Further, it claims very low externalized crash costs for bicycling. Bicyclists get hurt, and a fair number receive medical attention for which they cannot reimburse the hospital. Further, some motor vehicle crashes are induced by bicyclists who make unexpected moves in traffic. I find it hard to believe that the external costs of bicycles are that low. The study is a cute try, but is clearly playing games with the numbers.
A better reference:
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policy/hcas/final/index.htm