Bikenomics: How Bicycling Can Save the Economy

We live in a car-centric nation.  Given the transportation infrastructure in the United States, unless you live in New York City or Chicago, it is almost impossible to live without owning at least one car.

In Bikenomics, author Elly Blue points out that there are serious drawbacks that are inherent in our current transportation system.  The exorbitant cost of driving for each American is compounded by the fact that maintenance of our car-centric infrastructure is unsustainable financially.  Although the average American pays a significant amount of money in order to drive each year, collectively it still isn’t enough to adequately fund the construction and maintenance of our roadways.

Throughout the book, Blue makes a good case for advocating that our nation make a more substantial investment in bicycle infrastructure which would be ideal for short distance transportation. In contrast to our current transportation system, bike-friendly infrastructure is quite affordable and easy to maintain relatively speaking.  She believes that in addition to being economically beneficial, it would be environmentally sustainable and also serve to promote health and wellness in our country as a whole.