Bikes Aren’t Just Good For You, They’re Good For The Economy, Too [Fast Company]

Click to zoom.

By now, we all know that cycling is good for health, fitness, cutting road accidents, reducing carbon emissions, and increasing energy security (and so on, and on). But what about biking’s economic impact--its cyclonomics, if you will?

This graphic, from the League of American Bicyclists, highlights studies from across the country showing the positive benefits.

You can see, for example, that bike recreation and tourism contributes an estimated $924 million a year to Wisconsin, plus $409 million in health benefits. Or that biking generates $400 million for Iowa, according to the University of Northern Iowa, and the Iowa Bicycle Coalition. Or that bike tourism brings in $60 million for North Carolina’s Outer Banks area.

The League put the map together to publicize a recent report by its policy directorDarren Flusche. Flusche says the most important pieces of evidence for bicycling’s economic impact come from business district studies, including ones for downtownMemphis and Long Beach, California. Research (PDF) covering Portland, Oregon, meanwhile, showed that bicyclists spent more over a month than either motorists or walkers.

[Keep reading at Fast Company]