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Bicycling is big news in Arkansas right now. North Little Rock, Conway and Fayetteville have all been designated Bicycle-Friendly Communities at the bronze level by the League of American Bicyclists. And recently, Little Rock was ranked No. 49 on Bicycling Magazine’s Top 50 Bike-Friendly Cities. That’s great news not only for the environment, but also for the health of our citizens and the vitality of our economy. Embracing bicycling – both as individuals and as a community – will make a positive impact that will benefit us for years to come. Here are just a few compelling reasons to start bicycling (even just for recreation) and to support bicycling infrastructure, and in a few pages, resources to help you begin your own bicycling program.

Get In Gear

Do it for the environment. It doesn’t take a long list of statistics to demonstrate that cycling is better for the environment than driving a car; it’s just common sense. More bikes and less cars means fewer CO2 emissions and pollution, thus better air quality and cleaner roads. Try bicycling to work at least one day a week. If you can’t commit to commuting via bike, or if it’s not a viable option, you can still make an environmental impact by taking short trips on your bike. According to the Department of Transportation, most trips Americans take are short: 50 percent are less than three miles, 40 percent are less than two miles and 28 percent are less than a mile in distance. Making some of these trips on your bike will make a big difference. Or, combine bicycling with public transportation; as part of their “Rack and Roll” program, all of Central Arkansas Transit Authority (CAT) buses are now equipped with bike racks. Visit CAT's website to learn more.

Do it for your health. Bicycling increases physical fitness levels and drastically improves overall health, most notably cardiovascular health. According to the report, “Active Commuting and Cardiovascular Disease Risk,” in a 2009 study of nearly 2,400 adults, those who biked to work were fitter, leaner, less likely to be obese, and had better triglyceride levels, blood pressure, and insulin levels than those who didn’t active commute to work. Because it’s a low impact exercise, it’s also easy on the joints, good for the bones and reduces the risk of osteoporosis and arthritis. Bicycling every day will obviously make the most noticeable difference, but even those who bicycle only recreationally, on weekends for instance, will reap health benefits.

Do it for the economy. Bicycling is also big business. Numerous studies have shown that safe, vibrant, walkable and bikable communities attract and retain the desirable young professional class. Bill Cobb, senior vice president of Stephens Insurance in Little Rock, and an avid bicyclist, agrees that bike-friendliness is a boon to the economy. “Biker friendly lanes, trails, facilities and opportunities add to the quality of life amenities that people and businesses look for when choosing new sites for a business or home,” he said.

There’s more. According to Bikes Belong, whose mission is to “put more people on bicycles more often,” bicycle infrastructure costs are a fraction of those for highways or transit. Arkansas is certainly aware of that fact. Jasmin Moore, a community planner and public outreach coordinator at Metroplan in Little Rock, says that the City of Little Rock has two citizen groups who are working to improve bicycle infrastructure in Little Rock: the Bicycle Friendly Community Committee and the Mayor’s Little Rock Sustainability Commission, which recently worked to get the “Bike LR” logo stenciled at all intersections along existing downtown commuter routes.

In Northwest Arkansas, the Bicycle Coalition of the Ozarks pushes for better infrastructure, while also focusing on education.

From a basic financial standpoint, Moore points out that most of the money we spend on fuel leaves the community. However, the dollars we save by riding bikes tends to be spent locally. “As people are able to spend less on transportation costs, they have more disposable income available to contribute to the local economy.”

In fact, leaving just one car at home two days a week would save the average central Arkansan $55 a month and a whopping $660 a year, states Metroplan’s Green Agenda.

If Arkansans make the most of our existing trail systems, and continue to support efforts to improve bicycling infrastructure, our economy could see steady financial benefits in the coming years.