A spike in bikes.

• Author: Mygatt, Elizabeth
• Position: ECONOMIC OBSERVER

IN 2003, GLOBAL PRODUCTION OF BICYCLES hit 105,000,000--two-and-a-half times the record 42,000,000 cars produced. During the 1950s and 1960s, bicycle and automobile production were nearly equal. In the decades following, however, bike output soared, reaching 91,000,000 in 1990, while car production totaled 36,000,000. Since then, with the exception of 1997 and 1998 (when output dropped to 90,000,000 and then 87,000,000), about 100,000,000 bikes have been produced each year.

Production continues to be dominated by China, where output jumped from 34,000,000 bicycles in 1998 to a record 73,000,000 in 2003. Some 51,000,000 of these were exported; more than one-third went to the U.S., the world's largest import market. As China's industry grows, so, too, does its market share. In 1998, China accounted for 39% of world production. Five years later, the figure reached 70%. Other major manufacturers include India, Taiwan, Japan, and the European Union.

Bicycles provide affordable transportation for billions of people. The infrastructure for bicycles--such as roads and parking facilities--is less expensive to build and less land-intensive than that for cars. Moreover, bicycles do not contribute to air or noise pollution, and they reduce traffic congestion. They also offer a chance for people to improve their physical fitness at a time when obesity is at record levels.

Europe is the world leader in bicycle use. In Amsterdam, 33% of all trips are made on two wheels. In Copenhagen, one-third of commuters bike to work. Europe's many bicycle-friendly cities have developed expansive networks of support services, often including bike lanes and separate bikeways, secure bicycle parking, and end-of-trip facilities such as showers and locker rooms. Safety initiatives implemented over the past 25 years in Germany--such as better cycling routes, "traffic calming," more education, and stronger enforcement of traffic laws--have improved cycling safety while doubling the number of bike trips taken.

Amsterdam's woonerf zones--residential streets where pedestrians, cyclists, and cars all share the road at a walking pace--offer cyclists a pleasant, low-speed alternative to the auto-dominated main thoroughfare. Similar zones have become part of the urban fabric in Denmark, Germany, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Copenhagen, which provides 3,000 free bikes for public use through its City Bike program, allows them on most trains and currently is working to increase and...