In 1995, only 6.2 percent of trips in the U.S. were made by walking or biking. In 2009, that percentage was 11.9 percent - a 92 percent increase! Over that time, there has also been a decline in the number of pedestrian and bicycle injuries and deaths. In 1993, a staggering 5,638 pedestrians and 814 bicyclists were killed in crashes with cars and trucks. In 2008, those numbers had dropped to a still-much-too-high 4,378 pedestrians and 716 bicyclists-a combined decrease of 21 percent.

There's that and more in the new report The National Bicycling and Walking Study: 15-Year Status Report (pdf). As the title suggests, the report is actually a follow up on a 1994 study (pdf) that included action steps to double the share of trips taken by walking and biking (from 7.9 percent in 1990 to 15.8 percent) and reduce the number of walkers and bikers injured in crashes by 10 percent.

 
Source: The National Bicycling and Walking Study: 15-Year Status Report (pdf)

Source: Fresh Energy with data from The National Bicycling and Walking Study: 15-Year Status Report (pdf) and National Bicycling and Walking Study: 10-Year Status Report (pdf)

Much of the increase in walking and biking and in safety is due to shifts in local, state, and federal policies to support more walking and biking. The study references the Non-Motorized Transportation Pilot Program (Minneapolis is one of four communities receiving federal money to increase walking and biking), the Safe Routes to School Program, and the 121 Complete Streets policies in place. Before the original 1994 study, the federal government provided almost no support for walking and biking. Today, two percent of federal transportation funding supports walking and biking in addition to increasing money from other sources such as public health-related grants. The progress is encouraging, but there is much more work to do to reach our potential!

Source: The National Bicycling and Walking Study: 15-Year Status Report (pdf)

Source: The National Bicycling and Walking Study: 15-Year Status Report (pdf)