Bozeman Survey Reveals Surprising Level of Cycling

This article in the Bozeman Daily Chronicle brings to light some encouraging news on the state of cycling in Bozeman. This September, the Bozeman Area Bicycle Advisory Board (BABAB) hit the trails with surveys and returned with better figures than anticipated: 4,700 cyclists were counted! The surveys were conducted at 12 intersections for two-hour periods over three evening rush hours. When extrapolated, this data suggests that as many as 8,000 cyclists pass through the intersections on any given day. Numbers like these are a strong argument for constructing and maintaining bicycle lanes, shared roads and developing further non-motorized infrastructure. Consider this: the manufacture and transportation of a bicycle leaves a carbon footprint a fraction of the size of a car's. Bicycles don't run on fossil fuels, don't require insurance payments, cost less to maintain, provide excellent exercise, are easy to store, and present a far smaller safety liability than cars do.