phil wright (he/him)

The Netherlands is putting another $1.2 billion into its biking infrastructure. Not because they're generous, but because it's economical. National infrastructure projects of any size are legally required to undergo a cost-benefit analysis before they get built. They ran the numbers on cycling and every dollar invested came back as roughly $8.90 in benefits: lives saved, healthcare costs avoided, quieter streets, cleaner air, less congestion. 6,500 fewer premature deaths a year, six more months of average life expectancy across the entire country. A few years ago, they were skeptical of a $17 million cycling bridge across the Maas River. They ran the analysis. The bridge was predicted to save $132 million over its lifetime, so they built it. Most conversations about cycling infrastructure start with "how do we pay for it?" The Dutch conversation starts at "what's the cost-benefit ratio." That's the key difference. The Netherlands isn't just subsidizing bicycles, it's refusing to waste money by doing nothing.