Despite the health benefits we generally associate with cycling, we frequently come across some specialist or renowned institute who would have us believe otherwise. We're told, for example, that being active can lead to injuries or beatings... A fine moral in this world of sedentary lifestyles, junk food and excess weight! The problem with these studies is that they are «ultra-pure» science, and their authors sometimes forget to make certain nuances, whether unintentionally or deliberately...
When we published L'état du vélo au Québec last year, we made the following assessment, which is shared by the Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec and the Ministère des Transports. From 1987 to 2010, the total number of bicycles in Quebec more than doubled, while the number of regular cyclists increased by 50 %. Over the same period, there was a 58 % decrease in the number of cyclist fatalities, a 72 % decrease in serious injuries and a 52 % decrease in minor injuries. And we might add that, during the same period, the rate of motorization in Quebec increased significantly. Add to this the conclusion of a recent study by Professor Piet de Jong, mathematician at Macquarie University, Sydney (Australia): «The benefit of cycling is 20 times greater than the risk incurred by its use.»
The same caution is called for when it comes to children's safety on the way to and from school. It's no secret that the number of walking trips between school and home has fallen dramatically between 1980 and the present day. We've come to believe that the motorized parental shuttle is the safest way to transport our children, when in fact it's what has largely created the real and perceived insecurity around schools! It's a big deal, and a challenge we've been tackling since 2005, with the On foot, by bike, an active city, to make walking and cycling to school «fashionable» again.
Yes, cycling has its risks, like any other form of mobility or activity, and it's essential that public authorities continue their efforts and investments to improve road environments for the benefit of pedestrians and cyclists. But please, researchers of this world, stop these unproductive campaigns that distort the true image of cycling.
