Economic Downturn Means Increased Bike Usage
Reuters’ “Sign of the Times” article (Jan 23, 2009) described some of the ways that people worldwide seem to be adapting to more difficult economic times. One definite upshot to all this is the positive effects that economic slumps may have on bicycle adoption and usage.
Check it out:
Australian car sales may be sluggish, but bicycle sales are holding up much better as more commuters pedal to work. The Cycling Promotion Fund said bike sales outstripped car sales by 38 percent in 2008, the biggest margin in at least eight years. “The economic downturn and the affordability of cycling is one of the key reasons for the continued surge in bicycle sales,” said the fund’s Elliot Fishman.
Biking will save you money AND time!
On a related note, I found this graph from the Australian National Cycling Strategy Report which shows that riding a bicycle may be your fastest method of getting there over all other forms of transport.
~ via Bo (thanks Bo!)
~ via Reuter’s article “Signs of the Times: Stressed out, cheap eats”