The following information about bicycle touring and bike trails confirms what most of us already knew:
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| Bikers enjoy the fall colors on the Great Allegheny Passage trail. |
There is growing evidence that touring cyclists spend more time in the towns that they visit, lingering (and spending) more than the average tourist. Wisconsin released a report earlier this year that out-of-state cyclists generate more than $530 million in economic development annually. And according to a 2008 study done along the Great Allegheny Passage (a nearly 150-mile bike trail situated between Cumberland, Maryland, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), bicycle tourism has become a major economic force. Business owners reported that a quarter of their gross income comes from trail users and two-thirds of the businesses saw an increase in their revenue due to their location on the trail. Despite the economic downturn in 2008, businesses saw an increase in gross revenue attributable to the trail (from $32.6 million in 2007 to $40.6 million in 2008) and paid nearly 20% more wages as a result.
This information is especially pertinent in light of the recent attacks on bike trail funding from organizations such as AAA. This shows that an investment in bike trails will be repaid many times over in health benefits, decreased pollution, stronger families and economic benefits.
For more information about the Route 66 Adventure Cycle Route, check out Adventure Cycling’s press release.
1 comments
If only some of our politicians realized the true value of trails. I still can't believe how unsupportive some of them are when it comes to trails.
Then there's the recent comments by AAA…