Bicycles in the Spotlight

The production of cars often ends up in the American spotlight, but what about the production of bicycles? In 2007 the number of bicycles made worldwide was twice the number of cars. During the 1990's and early 2000's bike production slowed down, but with increased concern for the environment, human health, and the price of driving, bike production is soaring. 130 million bicycles were produced in 2007 compared to the 52 million cars produced. Although biking is still underused for transportation in the U.S. accounting for only 0.9 percent of all trips, U.S. cities are looking to kick this trend and hope to double their bicycle and pedestrian routes in the coming years. In European cities, like Copenhagen, 36 percent of their commuters bike to work. [Source: Earth Policy Institute]

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