Economy

The first impact of building a bike path on a commercial street is to get more shop visits by cyclists. However, it has been measured that biking customers pay more visits than motorists. On average each month, cyclists make 37 % more stops in a same shop than driving customers. These more frequent visits provide more opportunities for merchants.

There is a popular misconception that cyclists spend less because they can’t carry as much as motorists. The cargo of a car is often raised as an argument to justify the need to preserve parking spots where a bike path could be built instead. However, studies have clearly shown that cyclists spend 19 % more on average than motorists. This is explained in part by the savings made on fuel and parking, which grants a stronger purchasing power to cyclists.

Another important indicator of the impact of biking infrastructures on commercial vitality is the rate of commercial spaces vacancy. When there is an opposition to the construction of a bike path, one of the main arguments is the fear of seeing shops and business disappear. Nevertheless, various studies across the globe have shown the opposite effect. Everywhere bike paths were built, the amount of vacant commercial spaces has dropped. In other words, bike paths contribute to the revitalization of commercial streets, actually often avoided because of high motorized traffic.

Inaugurated in 2020, the Réseau Express Vélo (REV) on Saint-Denis Street has instigated many debates - some of which were quite heated - from its planning to its opening. Today, this 9 km unidirectional bike path crosses the island of Montreal on a North-South axis and represents a new generation of biking infrastructures that is more comfortable, safe and efficient.

This infrastructure, the first of a series of 17 of this caliber, registers usage records each year. In 2024, over 1,600,000 passages were recorded on one of its counters. While many predicted a fatal decline of this mythical commercial strip, the REV has instigated the rebirth of this street once marked by a high level of motorized traffic.

The construction of bike paths does not only benefit nearby shops and cyclists using them. Between their conception and construction, active transportation infrastructures are also public works that generate profits for national economies.