Spain: Toledo uses HEAT to calculate benefits of new cycle path
Toledo, a city in Spain, is the capital of the region of Castilla-La Mancha. It has around 83 000 citizens and is the second-most populated municipality in the region. The city was part of the Supporting Policy and Action for Active Environments (SPAcE) project, funded by the European Commission under the Erasmus+ programme.
Toledo developed an action plan to increase cycling, which included the building of a new cycle path from Toledo to the Santa Maria de Benquerencia neighbourhood outside the city. It used WHO/Europe’s health economic assessment tool (HEAT) to estimate the health benefits of the path, assuming different levels of usage, and to produce benefit–cost ratios.
The project team used data from the 2012 Toledo Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan, which includes modelling analyses of trip data for various locations. The data showed that people make a total of 33 300 trips per day using all modes of transport between Toledo and the Santa Maria de Benquerencia neighbourhood.
Using HEAT, the team was able to estimate the value of various proportions of these trips shifting to cycling. It used the following assumptions:
- that cyclists ride, on average, 124 days per year (as recommended in HEAT);
- that 90% of cyclists make a return journey; and
- that the average trip length is 4 km.
It then modelled shifts of 5%, 10% and 20% of the journeys to cycling, and
compared the benefits of this to the costs of building the path, which was estimated at €400 000. This led to the following results.
- Achieving a 5% shift from public transport or private car to bicycle would lead to a reduction in mortality valued at €222 000 per year. This results in a benefit–cost ratio of over 5 : 1.
- Achieving a 10% shift would lead to a reduction in mortality valued at €444 000 per year. This results in a benefit–cost ratio of over 11 : 1.
- Achieving a 20% shift would lead to a reduction in mortality valued at €888 000 per year. This results in a benefit–cost ratio of over 22 : 1.
While the value of the reduced mortality appeared to be relatively low, the benefit–cost ratios are very persuasive because they are calculated over 10 years. While the cost of building the path is a one-time expenditure, the mortality benefits recur every year as people continue using the path.
After observing these results, the project leader remarked: “These HEAT estimations have allowed the Castilla-La Mancha regional government to reinforce the arguments for the promotion of active mobility projects. The HEAT health message can be added to the environmental messages that cycling helps reduce energy consumption, improves air quality, reduces noise, and improves well-being. The fact that HEAT uses an estimation in euros makes it easier to understand for all citizens.”
Full details of this case study are available on the SPAcE website.
