Going green and buying bicycles

Across Europe, sales of bicycles are on the increase, with commuters choosing to cycle to work instead of using public transport and cars. An increasing number of cities, like Lisbon, are banning the use of cars in city centres. Seville reports cycling increasing elevenfold in recent years. Cycling is becoming not only more popular, but also safer thanks to a focus on bike lanes in an attempt by countries to 'go green.'

The increase in ebike sales is on the rise as well. With an average cost of around €1500 and speeds of up to 25 kph, ebikes are a cheap, practical alternative to buying a car — at about a fifth of the cost! Around 3.3 million pedal-assisted ebikes were sold in the EU last year. To put that into context, this figure is six times the number of plug-in electric car sales.

So why isn't the cycling industry, including ebikes, an even bigger business than it is currently? In Germany alone, the revenue from bike sales in 2018 was over €6 billion. A bicycle is a good, cheap investment. A good bike only costs around €300 with basic accessories like a lock and helmet, which equates to about one percent of the average price of a new car. Once you have a bike, or an ebike, the chances are aside from minimal repairs you will have the bike for years without having to worry. Which is exactly the problem with the cycling industry; you cannot make more money out of a bicycle once a consumer has one.

With a car, there are constant repairs, a need for fuel to make it work, legal requirements for maintenance, and so on. There is still money to be made. Sadly, even in a world that is growing increasingly aware of the need to 'go green,' we still focus more on making a profit. Though what is the alternative? If we move from using cars to bikes, buy only what we need because we have to think more carefully about transporting our purchases home, and while we are shopping only use reusable shopping bags as well, where is the economic growth?

As individuals, our choices are driven by cost, convenience, and value, meaning if going green is a practical option for things like our transport, we can make that decision. However, as nations, our choice is between GDP growth and saving the planet. Until those two options can meet so we have the best of both worlds, what hope of 'going green' do we really have?