Washington, DC — “The world produced an estimated 130 million bicycles in 2007-more than twice the 52 million cars produced,”� writes J. Matthew Roney in a recent Earth Policy Institute release, "Bicycles Pedaling into the Spotlight". 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. 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, as well as help face climate change and an emerging obesity epidemic. 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. The city plans to invest more than $200 million in bike facilities between 2006 and 2024 and estimates that by 2015 half its residents will bike to work or school. ( See additional examples of bicycle promotion initiatives.)

Governments elsewhere are following Europe’s lead. In November 2007, South Korea’s Home Affairs Ministry announced a new pro-bike campaign: as it expands bicycle infrastructure, the government aims to substantially increase bike ownership by 2015. Mexico City plans to have 5 percent of all trips be by bike in 2012, up from less than 2 percent today, using traffic calming methods and promotional campaigns. In India, Delhi’s newest Master Plan requires fully segregated bicycle tracks on all arterial roads.

While biking remains popular for recreation in the United States, it is woefully underused for transportation. Cycling accounts for just 0.9 percent of all trips, and only 0.4 percent of trips to work.

However, encouraging signs can be seen for the future of cycling in the United States. Aided by $900 million a year in federal funding for promotion of biking and walking for 2005 to 2009, the installation of bicycle facilities is proceeding at a record pace. Plans in the 50 largest U.S. cities would, on average, double their bicycle and pedestrian routes; New York City alone will quadruple its bike network to 2,900 kilometers by 2030. Bicycle advocacy continues to grow as well. The League of American Bicyclists now honors 84 U.S. towns and cities as Bicycle Friendly Communities, compared with 52 in 2005, and cycling advocacy groups operate in 49 states and Washington, D.C.

While the bicycle is still an essential form of transportation in China, the country has recently seen a rapid decrease in bike ownership as its population becomes wealthier and turns to cars. From 1995 to 2005, China’s bike fleet declined by 35 percent, from 670 million to 435 million, while private car ownership more than doubled, from 4.2 million to 8.9 million. This trend emerges even as the country’s share of world bicycle production continues to rise: China now turns out more than four fifths of all bikes produced.

With more than half the world’s population now living in cities, there is tremendous potential for municipal governments and urban planners to increase bicycle use, promoting people’s physical fitness while helping to create cleaner, more livable communities. For full report, see www.earthpolicy.org/Indicators/Bike/2008.htm

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