BICYCLES PEDALING INTO THE SPOTLIGHT

Eco-Economy Indicator – BICYCLES
May 12, 2008

Eco-Economy Indicators are twelve trends that the Earth Policy Institute tracks to measure progress in building an eco-economy. Bicycle production measures our ability to provide affordable transportation, reduce traffic congestion, lower air pollution, increase mobility, and provide exercise to the world’s growing population.

BICYCLES PEDALING INTO THE SPOTLIGHT
http://www.earthpolicy.org/Indicators/Bike/2008.htm

by J. Matthew Roney

The world produced an estimated 130 million bicycles in 2007 — more than twice the 52 million cars produced. Bicycle and car production tracked each other closely in the mid-to-late 1960s, but bike output separated sharply from that of cars in 1970, beginning its steep climb to 105 million in 1988. Following a slowdown between 1989 and 2001, bike production has regained steam, increasing in each of the last six years. Much of the recent growth has been driven by the rise in electric, or “e-bike” production, which has doubled since 2004 to 21 million units in 2007. Overall, since 1970, bicycle output has nearly quadrupled, while car production has roughly doubled.

Promoting the bike as a clean and efficient alternative to the personal automobile is a practical way for cities to reduce traffic congestion and smog. To simultaneously confront those problems as well as climate change and an emerging obesity epidemic, government leaders and advocacy groups are working to bring cycling back to prominence in the urban transport mix.

A number of European cities have set the standard for bicycle use and promotion, via pro-bike transportation and land use policies, as well as heavy funding for bicycle infrastructure and public education. In Copenhagen, for example, 36 percent of commuters bike to work…

For entire text see http://www.earthpolicy.org/Indicators/Bike/2008.htm
For data see http://www.earthpolicy.org/Indicators/Bike/2008_data.htm

For an index of Earth Policy Institute resources related to Bicycles and Transportation see http://www.earthpolicy.org/Indicators/Bike/index.htm

And for more thoughts on “Designing Cities for People” (not cars), see Chapter 10 of Lester Brown’s Plan B 3.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization, at http://www.earthpolicy.org/Books/PB3/index.htm.