"Why doctors support bike lanes: they’re healthier for everyone"

‘Cycling is very effective in promoting good physical and mental health, and it’s infrastructure like protected lanes that makes widespread bike use possible.’  

Toronto Star Fri Aug 11  Commentary by Dr. Peter Sakuls and Dr. Samantha Green are Toronto physicians and co-founders of Doctors for Safe Cycling.

..... "Cycling is beneficial to many aspects of health. A study published in the prestigious British Medical Journal in April 2017 showed some remarkable outcomes: people who cycle to work have a much lower risk of getting heart disease (by 50 per cent), of getting cancer ( by 40 per cent) and of dying of any cause ( by 40 per cent). Other studies have reached similar conclusions.

Of course the benefits are not restricted to cyclists themselves. As we move folks from four wheels to two we also improve air quality and tackle climate change – which is a boon to everyone.

But in order to attain these marvelous outcomes we need to get residents – in increasing numbers – to make cycling a part of their everyday routine. And that means instituting changes in our road system – including reducing speed limits and building separated cycle tracks – so that getting on a bike doesn’t mean risking your life."

It's one of the reasons why bike lanes on New St. is a very good idea.

"Forget all the other reasons you should be riding a bike. This is the one that matters"

Data from 263,450 participants - it's a meaningful number.

"This British study took a comprehensive look at the health benefits of bicycle commuting, and the results are staggering. Over the course of the study, the 263,450 subjects who were under review had a 41 per cent lower chance of death than those who didn’t. “Cycle commuters had a 52 per cent lower risk of dying from heart disease and a 40 per cent lower risk of dying from cancer. They also had 46 per cent lower risk of developing heart disease and a 45 per cent lower risk of developing cancer at all,” the study’s authors wrote."

So why don't we have protected bike lanes in Burlington?