On Friday, May 16th, Bostonians and Greater Boston Area residents will take part in National Bike to Work Week to help spread the word about the numerous health and environmental advantages of cycling. Boston is in the process of revamping its roadways to accommodate security and legislative needs of bikers, while bolstering a friendlier disposition towards them. But the city can only do so much to put people on two wheels. Science, though, could prove to be more persuasive.

Health and wellness website FitnessforWeightLoss pulled together data from various city, bike and fitness websites to create the infographic below. The idea, of course, is to continue convincing people to ditch their gas guzzlers in favor of more active means of transportation.

What some people may not realize, though, are the healthy and wealthy rewards of biking. For example, consider that the average person loses 13 pounds in the first year of regularly commuting by bike. Similarly, biking just three hours per week reduces one’s risk of heart disease by as much as 50 percent. And the average yearly operating cost for bike maintenance runs approximately $308, while the average for a car skyrockets to $8,000.

Check out the infographic, read our biking coverage and let us know if you’re willing to commit more time and effort to cycling. Happy trails!

Image via FitnessforWeightLoss.com