Bicycle infrastructure and traffic congestion: Evidence from DC's Capital Bikeshare

Timothy L. Hamilton and Casey Wichman

Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, 2018, vol. 87, issue C, 72-93

Abstract: This study explores the impact of bicycle-sharing infrastructure on urban transportation. We estimate a causal effect of the Capital Bikeshare on traffic congestion in the metropolitan Washington, D.C., area. We exploit a unique traffic dataset that is finely defined on a spatial and temporal scale. Our approach examines within-city commuting decisions as opposed to traffic patterns on major thruways. Empirical results suggest that the availability of a bikeshare reduces traffic congestion upwards of 4% within a neighborhood. In addition, we estimate heterogeneous treatment effects using panel quantile regression. Results indicate that the congestion-reducing impact of bikeshares is concentrated in highly congested areas.

Keywords: Traffic congestion; Public transportation; Bicycle-sharing; Pollution; Automobile externalities (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: H40 L91 Q53 R41 R53 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (34)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jeeman:v:87:y:2018:i:c:p:72-93

DOI: 10.1016/j.jeem.2017.03.007

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