A graphic from the US National Building Museum highlights figures from the American Automobile Association which estimates that: "Americans spend on average $8,485 each year on their cars."
Seems like a lot of money, doesn't it? What is intriguing is that the think-piece highlights how most of the money spent on cars leaves the local economy and asks the question:
"What if you were able to get rid of a car and spend-or invest-that money in your community and city?"
Given all the lovely words being written in the Greater Manchester Strategy and various Climate Change Action Plans about the need to develop a "low-carbon" economy it would be fascinating to pull together comparable data for Greater Manchester.
A recent blog by Elly Blue "How bicycling will save the economy (if we let it)" starts to sketch out how such a bicycle economy might look.
On a subject, dear to this blog's heart, Elly highlights how "Bicycle parking is the indicator species of this new economy, with a business's enthusiasm for its two-wheeled clientele being easy to gauge by the quantity of bike racks out front."
Examples are provided of Portland, businesses who arelining up to replace their car parking with on-street bike racks. And of one local grocery store who recently opened at a location with more parking for bicycles than for cars. Am looking forward to businesses across Greater Manchester following this lead.
Her blog article promises that the next in the series will provide "A realistic, conservative funding proposal for bicycle economic development." Am looking forward to reading that...
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