Bicycle production reached 130 million units in 2007, a
continuation of the upward trend that has characterized production
for most of this decade, according to the latest Vital Signs
Update. Global output continued to be largely a Chinese affair,
with China producing two of every three bikes made worldwide.
This new Vital Signs trend on bicycles includes data on production
as well as an analysis of factors that increase bike use
worldwide. It reveals that:
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Chinese cities continue to register some of the highest cycling
rates in the world.
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In the Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany, cycling accounts for 10
to 27 percent of all trips.
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Paris, Copenhagen, and Berlin all use extended public bike-rental
systems that function like an extension of public-transit options.
Cycling is potentially an important mode of sustainable transport:
it is non-polluting, inexpensive, and good for users� health and
the quality of urban life. Many of the European nations that have
reached high cycling rates have relied on policies that give
priority to cycling, walking, and public transportation over
private automobiles. These same priorities also lead to increases
in cycling safety.
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