Information gathered by the European Cyclist´s Federation, based in Brussels, reveals the point to which bikers are unprecedently fueling the consumption in the retail sector, giving powerful arguments to those who support the bike as the means of transportation most suitable for the current and the post-Covid19 state of affairs.

For the time being, bikers in the European Union account for a consumption volume of 111 billion Euros, and an additional 27 billion Euros would go to local retailers if doubling the cycling modal share within the EU. Furthermore, bikers spend more per week when shopping –at a ratio of 24 to 22 Euros per week, compared with drivers–, and 42% of overall shoppers buy within 0.5 mile of the shop, according to the Federation. Hence the importance of cyclist for local stores is huge.

These numbers show that cities giving more urban space for bikers, and less for drivers, is actually a good economic decision, despite the concerns of retailers who think that drivers are the main motor of the retail sector.

(Cover image: Miguel A. Amutio on Unsplash)