On Fri, 15 Jun 2018 12:31:28 +0100, colwyn
wrote:

the Bicycle Association’s new report, launched today in London’s Guildhall. The Value of the Cycling
Sector to the British Economy was written by Carey Newson and Lynn Sloman of the sustainable transport consultancy Transport for the
Quality of Life.

Paid for by the body representing the bicycle industry in the UK.
Unbiased then.

Doesn't mention that the UK bicycle industry is so insignificant that
the ONS don't bother including their production in cycles manufactured
but just take the Chinese import figure.

"The BA provides the industry with a powerful collective voice to
promote the interests of our members with government and to lobby for
policies and funding which benefit cycling."

Wasn't there a similar report from the LSE paid for by Sky and the CTC
a few years ago which sank into well deserved obscurity?

Garidis said the report revealed that the UK cycle industry is worth
three times more than the UK steel industry, and employs twice as many
people. Cycling related businesses currently generate at least £5.4
billion for the UK economy each year, and they sustain 64,000 jobs, some
in bike shops but most in cycle tourism of one sort or the other.

The 2011 LSE report on the value of the cycling economy said it made
a £2.9b total contribution to UK economy. That's a leap of £2.5bn in
7 years from 2.9 to £5.4bn but no one seems to have noticed.

It is also a remarkable recovery from the dire situation only last
year when the BA announced a different study commissioned by the BA
from data consultancy SQW which valued the cycling’s contribution to
the UK economy at £1bn.

The LSE report also claimed cycling supported 23,000 jobs in 2011 and
that has now apparently zoomed up to 64,000 jobs despite bike shops
going out of business by the sack load yet again no one seems to have
noticed. All this despite a continuing decline in bicycle sales and
no increase in the 2% of journeys completed by pushbike.

A bicycle is sold roughly every 10 seconds, estimates the report.

It should have said a " Chinese made bicycle".


“We can make the use of smart, clean bikes and e-cargobikes a key part
of a new green transport system which can power our future economy.

So tatty dirty bikes don't help?

Garidis wants the industrial case for cycling to lead government support
for the uptake of ebikes and e-cargo bikes:

It also failed to mention that the recent EU instruction on compulsory
insurance for all electric bikes should kill off that tiny market
before it gets going.