Wisconsin bicycling progress

From the Sheboygan Press (Wisconsin), 11.25.07:

(Employers) continually ask why they should participate and/or how can they participate in encouraging non-motorized transportation. There are multiple answers to this question.

An answer to "why" is usually the first item on people's minds, and that is the bottom line. As a business, promoting bicycling and walking as part of your wellness efforts undoubtedly makes economic sense.

Studies have shown that for every dollar spent on wellness programs, the average return on that investment is $3.84. Companies running effective wellness programs typically see reduced absenteeism, higher productivity, reduced health care costs, and have happier employees. All increase profits. Promoting bicycling and walking is an easy physical activity that can be incorporated as part of any wellness program.

The health and wellness benefits are not the only items that affect an employer's profits. Providing automobile parking is expensive. Instead of building a new parking lot or refurbishing an old one, encouraging the use of a bicycle or feet to get to work is an economical alternative. Victoria Transport Policy Institute studies show that it costs about $1,500 per stall in a new surface parking lot and the annual maintenance cost is about $200 per stall.

Walking is free for an employer and providing a bicycle rack typically costs less than $200 to install and there are virtually no maintenance costs. (Read more.)

An update on progress in Sheboygan County, featured earlier on this blog, one of four communities in the country awarded a $25 million Non-Motorized Transportation Pilot Program grant, passed by Congress in July 2005. (The other communities are Columbia, Missouri; Marin County, California; and Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota.)

Image: Web capture. Presumably, this is a badger.
Visit: Paul Dorn's Bike Commuting Tips