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Typically, investment in bike infrastructure (bike paths, bike lanes, sharrows, signage, bike racks, bike stations, etc) is done to improve the quality of life in a city. A higher population of bike riders can mean a healthier population and a diverse set of transit options means a more accommodating city to a more diverse population.
One side of the story that I haven't heard much on though is the business creation side. In the past 5 years we've seen small businesses like B1 Bicycles, Paradise Garage and Roll get started, grow and expand, thanks in part to the improvement in biking infrastructure. More info in this article below from [M]:
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Old Pastime Could Result in New Economic Growth
By Melanie McIntyre on August 13, 2010
TheMetropreneur.com
Central Ohioans, like many people across the country, have rediscovered bicycling in recent years. Predictably, the trend has kept owners of existing bike shops in demand, but it also has created new opportunities for enterprising entrepreneurs and could even impact companies outside the biking industry, resulting in even greater regional economic growth.
Locally, it’s not hard to find “young†bike shop success stories. Paradise Garage is moving three doors down from its current location to a space with 2,700 additional square feet, B1 Bicycles celebrated its third anniversary the last week of July, and roll: just opened a third location −in Upper Arlington− in May.
READ MORE: http://www.themetropreneur.com/columbus/pastime-result-economic-growth/
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This doesn't even cover offshoot and bike-related businesses like pedicabbing, bike sharing, or bike delivery services. Personally, I wouldn't be too surprised to see a couple more aspiring entrepreneurs opening new bike businesses in the next 5 years. I think LifeOn2Wheels has even hinted that it's something that he's looked into.
Anyway, just thought it was an interesting side to the "bike debate" that I haven't really seen explored before.
Thoughts?
Launched in August 2010, TheMetropreneur.com is a local online resource devoted to small business development and entrepreneurship. Its aim is to tell the stories of Central Ohio's business community, foster regional economic development and assist entrepreneurs with its resource-heavy focus.