Promoting cycling within cities can generate significant revenue gains for local businesses. According to a new study by ECF, European cyclists spend an impressive 111 billion euros in retail every year and if the share of cycling was doubled, this would create 28 billion euros of additional revenues for city centres, towns and villages all over Europe.

The findings of the study come to challenge any doubts about the economic viability of policies making streets and cities more cycling-friendly and less dependent on car traffic. Such policies are frequently confronted with the opposition of shop owners, who fear that customers won’t be able to access their businesses if more public space is given to cyclists and pedestrians and less to car traffic and parking.

Holger Haubold, Fiscal and Economic Policy Officer at the ECF said that the report “can help remove one of the biggest obstacles to developing cycling friendly streets in our cities. Naturally, local businesses are concerned about losing customers, but this report is an important tool because it shows that actually, increasing cycling will benefit local businesses.”

The new ECF report “Shopping by bike – best friend of your city centre” shows how cycling can be economically beneficial. Presenting case studies from all over Europe, it comes to the conclusion that:

• Clients coming by bike spend more than those coming by car during a certain time period or related to the parking space that has to be provided for them.
• Retailers often under-estimate the share of clients that go shopping by bike, and over-estimate the share of car users among their customers.
• Transformation of streets giving more space to pedestrians and cyclists create net gains for local retailers.

You can read the whole report and download the infographic here.