IN COLORADO, WE LOVE BICYCLES

Bicycle riders are a significant, active segment of Colorado’s population. We are not a niche!

Coloradans who own a bicycle (25% own three or more bicycles)

Coloradans who took a recreational bike ride in 2015 (48% higher than comparable national averages)

Coloradans who rode for recreation more than 31 days in 2015 (more than 50% rode at least 11 days)

Coloradans who used a bicycle for transportation in 2015 (about 7% participated in a race, event or bicycle vacation)

LEARN MORE ABOUT WHO IS RIDING

Ethnicity and gender

50 percent of Asian Americans and non-Hispanic white Americans reported riding a bicycle
38 percent of Hispanic Americans and 21 percent of African Americans reported riding a bicycle
Males were more likely to have reported riding a bike, at 50 percent, compared to 37 percent of females

Income and age

Generally, the higher someone’s income, the more likely they were to have ridden a bicycle in 2015
The age group 35-44 was the most likely to have pedaled at 54 percent, but not much more so than other age groups
Only age 55 and above was significantly less likely to have ridden a bike, at 32 percent
Approximately 75 percent of Colorado residents with children ages 3 to 17 in their household reported that their children rode a bicycle in 2015

LEARN MORE ABOUT WHERE PEOPLE ARE RIDING

The most active cyclists are those living in the mountains; 57 percent reported bicycling in 2015
Residents of the Front Range are the second-most frequent bicyclists (44 percent) followed by residents of the Western Slope (39 percent)
Residents of the Eastern Plains were the least likely to have reported riding a bicycle, at 19 percent

BICYCLES LOVE COLORADO BACK

Riding a bicycle is not only core to Colorado’s identity. Bicycling contributed $1.6 billion in economic and health benefits to the state’s economy in 2015.

Annual health benefit of bicycling to the state (millions of dollars)

Annual household spending on bicycling (millions of dollars)

Economic impact of out-of-state bicycle tourism (millions of dollars) thanks to 1.7 million bike-riding visitors

Goods + services sold by Colorado's bicycle industry to out-of-state tourists (millions of dollars)

INCREASING BICYCLING (AND WALKING) IN COLORADO WILL LEAD TO SIGNIFICANT BENEFITS

Active transportation is one of the easiest ways to introduce healthy activity into Coloradan’s daily lives.

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Increasing bicycling (and walking) = significant health benefits

Just a 10 percent increase in bicycling and walking in Colorado would prevent an additional 30-40 deaths per year and lead to $258-$387 million in additional annual health savings to the state. A 30 percent increase could equal up to $2 billion in additional health savings.

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Safe street design prevents costly injuries

Three dozen complete streets infrastructure redesigns can save $18 million in reduced and less-severe collisions.

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Bicycle facilities increase property values

Studies have also shown that bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure increases property values and spurs development. That infrastructure, as well as trail-oriented development, has contributed to increases in real estate values and new development activity.

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Protected bike lanes are good for business

Protected bike lanes increase retail visibility and sales volume. Cyclists shop often and spend as much or more than those arriving by automobile. An additional benefit is that business owners can fit 10 cyclist customers in a parking space, as opposed to one automobile customer.

COLORADO CAN STILL DO BETTER

Residents want to ride more, but it needs to be safer and more accessible.

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Bicycling infrastructure needs improvement

Colorado residents are, overall, unsatisfied with the state’s bicycling infrastructure, including lack of dedicated and protected bicycle facilities, bicycle-friendly traffic signals and accommodations such as bike parking and showers at destinations.

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Bicycling access needs improvement

The ability to ride a bicycle without fear of being hit; the ability to use public transit in conjunction with riding; and the availability of bike lanes, trails and bicycle parking all received low marks from residents.

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Bicycle Colorado has been doing this work for more than 25 years

The benefits of bicycling to the state as a whole, and our fellow Coloradans’ desires for more and safer riding options, directs our mission to make this the #1 state for bikes. Please support that work today! Join, donate or simply sign up for our email newsletter.

Source: 2016 Economic and Health Benefits of Walking and Bicycling in Colorado

Bicycle Colorado

@BicycleColo

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May 16, 2023
by Bicycle Colorado

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