These are some tough economic times we’re in. Governments across the globe are trying all kinds of tricks to keep things ticking over, with varying degrees of success (or varying degrees of failure, depending on how upbeat you’re feeling). But could bicycle networks benefit cities, providing a relatively inexpensive way to boost local urban economies?
Transportation is vital in keeping economies going. When the UK’s coalition government came to power in 2010, there was concern over whether London’s expensive Crossrail project – a speedy underground network connecting outer London to the city centre – would continue to be developed. Now it’s being heralded as an opportunity for economic growth. If train networks can boost the economy of a city, could bicycle networks boost the economies of the communities they pass through?
It certainly costs a lot less to implement them. Bike lanes have been praised for giving people ‘freeways for the price of a footpath’, and even though the relative affordability of bicycle networks is beneficial for encouraging their development and maintenance, there are other long term economic benefits.
Written by Joe Peach
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