Motorists often say that they ‘pay for the roads’ because they pay so much in taxation, and think that other road users such as cyclists are sponging freeloaders.
Of course, the truth is car drivers are being subsidised by non-drivers, to the extent that society pays €0.11 per kilometre in Europe. Which means that across the European Union automobiles cost society around €500 Billion a year!
In contrast people who walk make a net positive contribution to society of €0.37 per kilometre walked, and cyclists contribute €0.18 per kilometre. That’s because those who walk and cycle save the EU health services a combined €90 Billion a year.
Don’t believe me? Well these numbers come direct from the researchers: Gössling, S., Choi, A., Dekker, K. and Metzler, D. 2018. The social cost of automobility, cycling and walking in the European Union. Ecological Economics 158: 65-74