Use of bicycle All-time high in Spain As the general secretary of the Brands and Bicycle Association explained to Efe, around 20 million people are already using them regularly as part of the sustainable mobility commitment, where the combination of “entertainment and sports” also plays a leading role. Spain (AMBE), Jesus Freire.
In fact, it has continued to grow over the past year and has already Used by 11 million users at least once a weekwell 40% more between 2019 and 2022According to the latest barometer published by the Cycling Cities Network.
The main reasons for this increase include the “post-isolation period”, “The population’s commitment to sustainable mobilityFreire noted that it was used for “entertainment and sport.”
Protection of the environment is also among the reasons for use, although according to Freire “it was one of the most chosen reasons before, but now the population uses it more”. for comfort, practicality, health and physical activity”.
According to the barometer data, the most important usage reasons today are walking (84.1%), doing sports (79.2%), daily trips (56.9%), going to the health center (40.4%) and going to work (36%, 9).
The increase in these last two reasons has been particularly striking since 2019 (11.1 points in case of training centers and 10 points in case of going to work) and they currently represent the most important, with more than about 30%. total number of users.
Urban use and the rise of the electric bike
Another fact that shows the dramatic increase in the use of the bicycle as a means of transport in urban use is that the bicycle is already in use. Around 20 million people regularly use it in Spain Although the mountain bike remains the “most consumed bike”, it is worth considering the rise of the electric bike in recent years.
The AMBE report ‘Bicycle sector in numbers’ from 2021 confirms that more than 220,000 electric bicycles were sold at that time, at an average price of 2,861 euros. Requesting “include cycling in the Government’s Action Plan to assist in the purchase of sustainable vehicles” Freire estimated between 50 and 80 km as “those who use it use it more often and for longer distances.”
Josep Travería, manager of the Proride bicycle care products sales company, told Efee-bikes are a “sustainable alternative to other vehicles such as motorcycles”despite the cost and inconvenience of battery consumption”.
The rise of the bicycle is also linked to the production of accessories and components, especially in 2021 when “demand is very fast”.
Sales in Spain reached “one and a half million units” With an average price of 984 euros”, this product has made the country “the leader in the manufacture of bicycles and brands” and also the European country that exports the most outside the EU.
“Not betting on the bike is unsustainable”
Although there are places where they are used more than others, today “not betting on the bike is politically unsustainable,” warns Freire. congratulates himself on the construction of cycle path networks or parking lots, as well as the use of communal bicycles especially in “Seville, Valencia, Barcelona and Madrid” so that “in the next five years there will be no city in Spain that does not make a clear commitment to cycling”.
Travería added that this is also a matter of “education” and “awareness” of citizens, claiming that “you have to leave the car and the motorcycle and pedal a little“Stop CO2 emissions in cities that are crying out for it, like Madrid and Barcelona”.
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