Private vehicles are energy intensive and produce large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions.

• The energy costs of manufacturing one car is equivalent to the energy cost of manufacturing 70 to 100 bicycles. (Transport Canada, 2009)

• Each car in Nova Scotia generates 1,500 kg to 8,000 kg of green house gas emissions annually. (CAA, 2017)

Many of the trips people make each day could be made by active transportation.

• Each year, the average Canadian will make 2,000 car trips shorter than 3 kilometers (Greater Sudbury, 2015). These shorter trips could be made using active transportation, if infrastructure allowed for it.

• The access offered by a green-way or multi-use trail can help nearby residents cut their green house gas emissions by up to 21%. (Ngo, Frank & Bigazzi, 2018)

• Walking 30 minutes a day in place of driving would save approximately 130 kg of CO2 emissions each year. (Steer Davies Gleave, 2015)

• Toronto found that residents living in walkable communities across the surrounding region walk 2.5 times as often and drove 150 fewer kilometers compared to residents of car-oriented communities. (Toronto Public Health, 2012)

A lack of alternative transportation options for people who cannot drive results in more driving.

• Chauffeuring non-drivers is estimated to account for 5-15% of vehicle travel. The driver’s empty return trip can double the vehicle miles involved in chauffeuring non-drivers. (Victoria Transportation Policy Institute, 2015)

Walkable communities are more active

• Residents of walkable communities do substantially more physical activity. (Theilman, Manson, Chiu, Copes & Rosella, 2016)

• Even residents of walkable communities that would prefer to live in an auto-oriented neighbourhood are more physically active than those who live in auto-oriented neighbourhoods. (Frank, Kershaw, Chapman & Perotta, 2014)

… which benefits physical health

• Children in less walkable communities are at greater risk of developing asthma. (Simons, Dell, Moineddin & To, 2018)

• Residents of less walkable neighbourhoods are at an accelerated risk of developing diabetes. (Booth et al., 2013)

• Living in a more walkable neighbourhood is associated with lower average BMI. (Loo, Greiver, Aliarzadeh & Lewis, 2017)

• Neighbourhood Walkability is associated with reduced blood pressure and hypertension risks. (Sarkar, Webster & Gallacher, 2018)

… and mental health

• Depression is less common for older men (65+) living in communities that are more walkable. (Berke, Gottlieb, Moundon & Larson, 2007).

… saving lives !

• Cycling in Quebec is estimated to prevent 390 premature deaths each year. (Velo Quebec, 2015)

Driving is expensive.

• Driving a car in Nova Scotia costs $6,000 to $16,000 per year. (CAA, 2017)

• The cost savings for each mile of car travel shifted to active transportation is $1.43 split between the individual and society. (Victoria Transportation Policy Institute, 2019)

• Parking is expensive to users and providers. The cost of providing an on-street parking stall is nearly 8 times the cost of providing a post-and-ring bike rack. (L’Allier & Tse, 2012)

Cyclists are a lucrative demographic of consumers.

• Cyclists tend to make more small purchases, spending more overall compared to customers who arrive by car. (Clifton et al., 2012)

• Multi-use trails generated an estimated $30 million for Nova Scotia each year. (Gardner Pinfold Consultants Inc, 2017)

• Approximately 40,000 tourists reported cycling during their stay in Nova Scotia in 2007. (Eastwind Cycle. 2009)

• Quebec found bike tourists spend 6% more than the average tourist in 2015. (Velo Quebec, 2015)

Bike Tourism is growing across Canada.

• Bike tourism in Ontario is experiencing rapid growth. (Ontario Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism, and Culture Industries, 2018)

• Ontario saw 2 million bike tourists collectively spending $391 million in 2010. (Bike Trade Canada, 2016)

• Victoria, BC and its surrounding region host approximately 150,000 bike tourists annually, each spending an average of $990. (Urban Systems, 2015)

Active Transportation infrastructure creates jobs.

• Active transportation projects create more jobs than other road projects. Per $1 million spent on a project: cycling projects create 11.4 jobs, pedestrian projects create 10 jobs, multi-use trails create 9.6 jobs, while road-only projects create 7.8. (Garrett-Peltier, 2011)