Bicycle production reaches 130 million units.

• Author: Gardner, Gary
• Position: VITAL SIGNS

Bicycle production was up 3.2 percent in 2007 to 130 million units, continuing a trend of several years. China produced two of every three bikes made worldwide. India, the European Union, Taiwan, Indonesia, and Brazil were the next five largest producers, accounting together for about a quarter of the total.

The share of all trips made by bike varies greatly among countries. Chinese cities still register some of the highest cycling rates in the world, despite growing interest in cars. In the most-cycled cities, such as Tianjin, Xi'an, and Shijiazhuang, the bicycle accounts for more than half of all trips. In the west, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany have the highest rates of cycling, ranging from 10 to 27 percent of all trips. This compares with about 1 percent of trips in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia.

In Africa, where bicycles are often unaffordable and walking is generally the dominant transportation mode, cycling's share of trips registers in the...