The untapped potential of cycling for public health and the climate

"Every kilometer cycled saves €1 in medical costs."​(in french)

In Western countries like France, 40% of people have a medical condition associated with a low level of physical activity, resulting in approximately 10% of all deaths. We know that physical activity could prevent chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and dementia, but to what extent? How can we measure the scale of the benefits? "If a person cycles for 1 hour 40 minutes a week, they reduce their risk of death by 10%," explains Kévin Jean, a scientist in the Institut Pasteur-CNAM unit on infectious and emerging risks. This observation is based on an analysis of the scientific literature on the link between physical activity and morbidity/mortality events. It formed the basis for the research conducted by the PACRI unit (Pasteur-CNAM infectious and emerging risks), which involves a laboratory from the French National Conservatory of Arts and Trades (CNAM) (Modeling, Epidemiology and Surveillance of Health Risks, led by Laura Temime) and an Institut Pasteur unit (Epidemiology of Emerging Diseases, led by Arnaud Fontanet).

"We used existing data in the literature to assess the health impact of cycling. This is a baseline approach for evaluating the large-scale health impact of policies or infrastructures." Every ten years, the French National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (Insee) conducts a national survey on the means of transport used by French people. Based on individual mobility data from the 2018-2019 survey, "we performed an analysis that had never before been carried out in such detail for the entire country. We not only considered the risk of death but also the risk of developing one of five chronic diseases (cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, dementia, colon cancer and breast cancer), and we estimated and quantified the economic and health benefits of cycling."

Cycling: individual health benefits and collective savings

"In French society, cycling continues to be a minority mode of transport, hovering at around 3% of modal share between 2009 and 2019. French people cycle on average for 7 to 8 minutes each week, in other words 5 to 10 times less than Dutch people over the age of 75; and three-quarters of cyclists are men," notes Kévin Jean.

Although cycling is not a particularly common pursuit for French people, they still covered some 5 billion kilometers in 2019. This level of cycling prevents 2,000 deaths and 6,000 cases of chronic disease each year! "Each of these conditions incurs medical costs, and we estimate that the amount we cycled in 2019 represents annual savings of €200 million for the French Health Insurance Fund," explains Kévin Jean. The cost of death is not a direct cost for the community. To measure the monetary value of deaths prevented, economists use the notion of the value of a statistical life year, and in France, the most frequently used figure considers that a prevented death saves around €3 million.

The study therefore reveals that nearly €5 billion in savings are made every year in France as a result of cycling! "Every kilometer cycled saves €1 in medical costs."

The benefits calculated in the article are almost certainly an underestimate, firstly because cycling has become increasingly popular since the COVID-19 pandemic, and secondly because some diseases were not taken into consideration (for example depression).

Good for health and also for the climate

What would happen if the 25% of car journeys under 5km in France were cycled instead? "We could prevent 2,000 additional deaths and save €2.5 billion," says Kévin Jean.

Over and above these benefits, shifting these journeys to cycling would also help the climate, preventing hundreds of thousands of tons of CO₂ emissions. "The reduction in CO₂ emissions is comparable with the drop in emissions in 2015-2016 when the energy efficiency tax credit for home insulation was introduced." Although the study contains a wealth of information, there are no figures on the expected benefits in terms of air pollution.

Cycling is therefore good for health, the economy and the climate. "Promoting cycling by introducing infrastructures such as cycle tracks and bike parks, offering financial incentives, and limiting car parking spaces has been proven to encourage more people to take up cycling. Measures to promote cycling should therefore be seen as part of public health policy."

Cycle-friendly policies are also likely to improve the gender balance among amateur cyclists as women tend to cycle more in countries with safe cycling infrastructures.

For more information, read this article from The Conversation (in french).