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Abstract
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Introduction
The health benefits of cycling have widely been recognized, but cycling is also associated with health risks (e.g., pollution exposure, crash risk). Past studies of these competing health impacts have been limited in their treatment of social equity, rarely considering spatial variations in risk that could be highly salient for marginalized populations. This study investigates the health risks of cycling through the lens of social equity by considering variations in PM2.5 concentrations and crash risk across space and across sociodemographic groups.
Methods
We conducted this analysis in Los Angeles County, CA, which has a relatively high bicycle fatality rate and consistent non-attainment status for traffic-related PM2.5. We used publicly available data, including PM2.5 concentrations, crash locations, bicycle counts, and street network data, to derive measures of pollution exposure and crash risk. We performed descriptive, visualization, and regression analyses to assess how pollution exposure and crash risk vary across census block groups and are associated with area-level sociodemographic characteristics.
Results
We found that the health risks of cycling are disproportionately high among marginalized populations (i.e. in block groups with lower income, lower educational attainment, and higher shares of racial/ethnic minority populations). Census block groups with worse outdoor air quality and higher crash risk are particularly likely to be home to low-income people of color. Even in these places, the health benefits of cycling could outweigh the risks; however, the net health benefits of cycling, accounting for these risks, are likely to be lower in marginalized communities.
Conclusions
Health impact assessments related to cycling should incorporate neighborhood-level data to better assess the distribution of benefits and risks across space and across population groups. Efforts to promote cycling should focus on making cycling safer and healthier, placing emphasis on communities where it is associated with the greatest health risks.
Language: en |