A European study confirms what we all knew already: Bikes beat cars when it comes to traveling efficiently. The Belgian study was commissioned by FEBIAC, the Belgian car, motorcycle and bicycle distributors’ association, and carried out by Transport & Mobility Leuven and the University of Leuven. It looked at rush hour traffic on a highway outside the Belgian city of Leuven, and discovered the truth that motorcyclists have known all along – cars cause congestion, while motorcycles are a great way to beat gridlock.
In fact, the study concludes that if 25 per cent of commuters rode motorcycles or scooters instead of taking the car, traffic jams would just be an unpleasant memory. If only 10 per cent of commuters rode instead of driving, congestion would drop by 40 per cent.
Of course, this study is for a country with different traffic laws, where you can probably get away with things like lane splitting, and the riding season is probably much longer than Canada’s. Still, these numbers should make anyone sick of traffic congestion take notice. There is a solution, and it’s only two wheels away…
[…] It’s been proven to reduce traffic congestion for everyone, not just motorcyclists (see this Belgian study from 2011 for more […]
[…] time to lobby your local MLA for changes to your province’s traffic laws? You can show them this study, too, while you’re at it – lane-splitting is good for […]
[…] would the government listen to motorcycle manufacturers? Manufacturers can stress the eased traffic congestion that comes with more motorcycles on the road. They can also offer to develop ad campaigns to […]
There’s also another bonus that I think is relavent…learning to ride and being in traffic on a bike makes you a more aware/better driver when you have to be in your cage…I found that I watch the flow of traffic more and move with the flow better since I got my bike license…
Just my two cents…
Later.