As more and more Canadian cities hop onto the protected bike lane bandwagon, new economic opportunities are being presented to merchants who chose to cater to customers arriving by foot or bicycle. While they may purchase less per visit, study after study has discovered that – over the course of an entire month – people arriving by those two modes of transportation regularly outspend drivers at locally owned businesses such as cafés, bars, restaurants, and convenience stores.
Here in Vancouver, forward-thinking entrepreneurs have taken full advantage of the growth in cycling, and strategically located their storefronts along the bustling bikeways. Case studies such as Bomber Brewing, Tandem Cafe, and Cycle City Toursdemonstrate that bike lanes really do mean business, and people on bicycles are far more likely to stop and make an impromptu purchase than those racing by in a car.
Let’s not also forget the fact that Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association President and CEO Charles Gauthier has become one of the most vocal proponents of bicycle infrastructure in the city, reversing his organization’s position on the protected bike lanes, supporting walking and cycling improvements to theBurrard Bridge, and championing the imminent arrival of bike share this summer.
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