Advancing and promoting cycling policies with Bikenomics (San Donato Milanese, Italy)
Area: urban
Date implemented: 2019
How long from concept to implementation: 4 months
Relation between efforts undertaken and benefits achieved: Very good. The Bikenomics study fostered a new discussion in San Donato Milanese about cycling investment opportunities. Since the publication of the analysis, the town approved a new bike plan, completed 3 km of municipal cycling lanes and an important cycling connection to a nearby town, and organised four local cycling-related events, including a bike-to-school initiative. For these efforts, San Donato has been recognised as a “bike-friendly” city by the national Italian cycling association (FIAB).
What was done and how: Bikenomics, or the application of economic thinking to cycling, was used by Decisio to assess the potential value and impact of the Bike Plan of San Donato Milanese, an industrial town just outside Milan, which seeks to increase the currentcycling modal share from 3-5% to 15% by 2030. Specifically, Decisio used a cost-benefit analysis to compare two different scenarios: a “business-as-usual” scenario, in which cycling is not actively promoted, and an “intervention” scenario, in which policy-makers act according to the bike plan and reach the 15% target.
Using forecasts, the first scenario assumed mobility would increase according to population and GDP, and modal shares would change very little. In the “intervention” scenario, Decision kept the total amount of forecasted trips, but varied the modal share according to the targets of the Bike Plan. Both scenarios were then assessed in terms of congestion, work productivity, healthcare costs, greenhouse gas emissions, and so on.
Decisio’s analysis of these two scenarios showed the town’s policy-makers that the “business-as-usual” scenario would translate into a 5.5 million EUR social cost over a period of 10 years, whereas the “intervention” scenario would bring about almost 16 million EUR in societal benefits by 2030, mostly associated with increased physical activity. Even when factoring in the costs of implementing the bike plan (2.5 million EUR + 1% maintenance cost per year), the benefits of intervening outweighed its costs by a factor of 7. Notably, the analysis indicated the positive difference between “doing nothing” and intervening becomes even more pronounced beyond the 10-year timeframe.
Why it worked to 'fast track' the innovation/measure: Using data, Bikenomics can show that “doing nothing” in terms of active mobility is not free. Quite the opposite: it is extremely costly for society. When policy-makers have access to this hard evidence, expressed in monetary terms, they are more inclined to approve and carry through investments in cycling and other forms of active mobility.
Lessons learnt: Using Bikenomics, and focusing on cycling's socio-economic benefits, can put cycling on the agenda of policy-makers even in cities or countries where it is not as popular and widespread. The cost-benefit analysis proved an effective communication tool to explain the impacts and benefits of active mobility paradigms to the town’s stakeholders. Bikenomics is helpful especially in car-centric contexts, mainly to explain that any cycling investment is also (and, in some cases, particularly) going to benefit those who do not cycle. In short, it shows that promoting cycling benefits everyone.
Tips for replication: A Bikenomics analysis is straight-forward to replicate in most contexts, provided some expertise is available either within the public administration or externally. Possibly, the key combination in San Donato was the grouping of writing the bike plan, analysing its socio-economic benefits, and involving the local stakeholders and the population at the same time and within a “fast” process to keep the momentum going.
Sources or links:
Date implemented: 2019
How long from concept to implementation: 4 months
Relation between efforts undertaken and benefits achieved: Very good. The Bikenomics study fostered a new discussion in San Donato Milanese about cycling investment opportunities. Since the publication of the analysis, the town approved a new bike plan, completed 3 km of municipal cycling lanes and an important cycling connection to a nearby town, and organised four local cycling-related events, including a bike-to-school initiative. For these efforts, San Donato has been recognised as a “bike-friendly” city by the national Italian cycling association (FIAB).
What was done and how: Bikenomics, or the application of economic thinking to cycling, was used by Decisio to assess the potential value and impact of the Bike Plan of San Donato Milanese, an industrial town just outside Milan, which seeks to increase the currentcycling modal share from 3-5% to 15% by 2030. Specifically, Decisio used a cost-benefit analysis to compare two different scenarios: a “business-as-usual” scenario, in which cycling is not actively promoted, and an “intervention” scenario, in which policy-makers act according to the bike plan and reach the 15% target. Using forecasts, the first scenario assumed mobility would increase according to population and GDP, and modal shares would change very little. In the “intervention” scenario, Decision kept the total amount of forecasted trips, but varied the modal share according to the targets of the Bike Plan. Both scenarios were then assessed in terms of congestion, work productivity, healthcare costs, greenhouse gas emissions, and so on. Decisio’s analysis of these two scenarios showed the town’s policy-makers that the “business-as-usual” scenario would translate into a 5.5 million EUR social cost over a period of 10 years, whereas the “intervention” scenario would bring about almost 16 million EUR in societal benefits by 2030, mostly associated with increased physical activity. Even when factoring in the costs of implementing the bike plan (2.5 million EUR + 1% maintenance cost per year), the benefits of intervening outweighed its costs by a factor of 7. Notably, the analysis indicated the positive difference between “doing nothing” and intervening becomes even more pronounced beyond the 10-year timeframe.
Why it worked to 'fast track' the innovation/measure: Using data, Bikenomics can show that “doing nothing” in terms of active mobility is not free. Quite the opposite: it is extremely costly for society. When policy-makers have access to this hard evidence, expressed in monetary terms, they are more inclined to approve and carry through investments in cycling and other forms of active mobility.
Lessons learnt: Using Bikenomics, and focusing on cycling's socio-economic benefits, can put cycling on the agenda of policy-makers even in cities or countries where it is not as popular and widespread. The cost-benefit analysis proved an effective communication tool to explain the impacts and benefits of active mobility paradigms to the town’s stakeholders. Bikenomics is helpful especially in car-centric contexts, mainly to explain that any cycling investment is also (and, in some cases, particularly) going to benefit those who do not cycle. In short, it shows that promoting cycling benefits everyone.
Tips for replication: A Bikenomics analysis is straight-forward to replicate in most contexts, provided some expertise is available either within the public administration or externally. Possibly, the key combination in San Donato was the grouping of writing the bike plan, analysing its socio-economic benefits, and involving the local stakeholders and the population at the same time and within a “fast” process to keep the momentum going.
Sources or links:
