Ambitious Brussels cycling policy potentially worth €550 million, says study

If the Brussels-Capital Region introduced an ambitious cycling policy, it would be worth €300 to €550 million to the economy and triple the number of cycling-related jobs, a study carried out for Brussel Mobiliteit has concluded.

At present, the study said, there are 230 jobs in the region directly related to cycling, including bike messengers and the sale, maintenance and hire of bicycles. With the right policies in place, that number could grow to 660 by 2020, a better rate of jobs per million euro invested, says the report, than in the car industry.

The local economy would also benefit as cyclists tend to do their shopping in local businesses. Other benefits are more general, according to the report, including better health, less pollution, less traffic, lower transport costs; each has an economic effect, however difficult it may be to estimate.

The study looked at the direct and indirect impact of cycling policy at three points in time: 2002, 2012 for the present and 2020. At present, the investment in cycling amounted to just over €47 million in 2012, whether from subsidies to cycling organisations, studies or – a much larger figure – private investment in purchasing and maintaining bicycles.

The study’s ambitious future sees that investment rise to €118 million in 2020. Broken down into public and private spending, the figures are for 2012 are €16.3/€30.8 million and for 2020 €27.5 million and €90.8 million. Public spending increases relatively little, compared to the huge leap in private spending.

An “ambitious” policy would involve investing €22 per inhabitant of the region per year in cycling facilities. It would also be one in which cyclists account for 20% of all non-foot traffic, with 15% of all cyclists former motorists. In those circumstances, the benefits would amount to between €5 and €9 for every euro invested, the study claims.

Cyclist organisation Gracq called on the new Brussels government to take note of the study and make work of implementing a new, more ambitious policy for cycling and cyclists.