From the CenterLines newsletter:
The famous Dutch obsession with bicycles is clearly paying off – a recent study (Dutch Cycling: Quantifying the Health and Related Economic Benefits) has found that, due to cycling, about 11,000 deaths are prevented each year in the Netherlands and Dutch people have half a year longer life expectancy than the average European. Most importantly, the study clearly shows that Dutch investments in bicycle-promoting policies, such as improved bicycle infrastructure and facilities, are likely to yield a high cost-benefit ratio in the long term.