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Planet Bike Thrilled by Release of Thunderhead's Benchmarking Report on Nov 09, 2007
Madison, Wisc.- November
08, 2007 - Planet Bike is proud to applaud the success of
the Thunderhead Alliance as it unveils its groundbreaking benchmark
project. The findings of the project are
spelled out in the 120 page report entitled Bicycling
and Walking in the U.S. which has just been sent to bicycle advocacy
groups, government transportation officials, and public health professionals
across the
Beginning in
2004, Planet Bike partnered with Thunderhead for the pilot benchmarking
project. From there, Planet Bike has
earmarked nearly $40,000 in donations to the Thunderhead Alliance for this
project. Along with the support of
Planet Bike, the report received $10,000 from Bikes Belong, supplementing a
$50,000 grant from the National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Thunderhead
report is the first of its kind to compile and analyze national data on
bicycling and walking. The volume
contains pages and pages of charts and graphs examining everything from the
number of trips made by bike to which
A few of the
interesting findings include:
*
Per
capita bike shop sales are highest in
*
Less
than 1% of work trips in the
*
Men
bike to work at three times the rate of women.
*
*
*
1.54%
of federal transportation dollars are allocated to bicycle and walking projects.
*
*
Diabetes
rates are lowest among states with high levels of biking and walking.
"The correlation graphs in the report are shocking and fantastic. It confirms much of what we have always thought to be true about bicycling, and the report lays it out graphically," says Dar Ward, Senior Planning Analyst for the
The report is being
touted as the foundation on which the future of bicycle advocacy will be built. It will be used by advocates, transportation
planners, and public health officials to promote and evaluate policies and
programs that make our communities more bicycle and pedestrian friendly.
