Businesses that adapt to bicycle lanes find it’s good for sales

Tip 1: Bike lanes can be good for business.

There’s a surprising amount of research that shows that bike lanes can be good for business. However, businesses have to adapt to meet the needs of this new customer group. The good news is that with the addition of almost five miles of bicycle lanes (or soon to be added) to Hillcrest, one of the biggest barriers to customers riding bikes (feeling unsafe) has been removed.

Tip 2: Customers who ride bike are more loyal than those who come by car.

Customers who arrive at retail stores by bike spend the same amount per month as comparable people who arrive by car - they tend to make smaller purchases but return more frequently. Studies in Toronto; New Zealand; Wales; Davis, California; and Portland, Oregon, all found this to be the case.

This means that a bicycle business customer is a loyal customer because once they include your business on their bicycle route, they’ll frequent your business more regularly. Finding a way to make it convenient to have bicycle customers come to your business means you’ll see them more often.

“After the construction of a protected bike lane on 9th Avenue (in NYC), local businesses saw a 49 percent increase in retail sales. On other streets in the borough, the average was only 3 percent. ”
— NYC DOT, 2012

Action steps to orient your business to the bicycling community.

Action Step 1: Provide bike parking for customers. You can request a free bike rack from the City for in front of your business. Just like people who drive, people who ride bikes want to park right in front of the business where they’re going. Convenient quality bicycle parking for guests in front of your business can make a big difference.

Spending habits relative to transportation choices can be useful in understanding potential new customers and tailoring products to them.

Action Step 2: Provide facilities for employees. Provide maps showing local bike routes, add secure storage for employee bikes, provide showers, lockers, and changing areas. Bike repair tools, supplies, and a work stand for employees to use can also be useful.

The San Diego Bicycle Coalition provides free trainings to help your employees take advantage of the new bike lanes and commute to work. Register for a training here.

Making it easy for your employees to ride their bikes will make them more healthy and productive employees and frees up parking spaces for customers who drive. Make it easy for your employees to add riding into their daily routine.

Action Step 3: Provide easy access to your business by bike. Here’s a map showing the connected bike-lanes throughout Hillcrest. Easy access by bike from a network of dedicated bikeways or low-traffic streets is the start of attracting bicycle customers to your business.

Circulate San Diego provides information concerning Scooter Safety (in Spanish) in an easy to digest flier that can be helpful for customers and employees.

Action Step 4: Provide marketing to and product options for riders. Providing “riders welcome” sign on your door or providing bikeway maps in your business can be a helpful way to signal to this loyal customer group that they’re welcome. The HBA and Access Hillcrest are providing free Welcome Riders window decals. Order yours now. Information about riding in the neighborhood can be found at www.accesshillcrest.com. Understanding the price point of the riding customer (see the chart above) and providing products suited to them could be helpful in securing these customers. Providing welcoming messaging at point of sale will help secure return customers.

This retro window decal is a great way to welcome riders to your business

“The lanes slowed down traffic and people started noticing the businesses more... revenues have grown on average 30 percent per year – yes, an art-related business in a tough economy.”
— Pat Brown, co-owner of T Clifton Gallery on Broad Avenue in Memphis.

Who’s riding?

There are a lot of discussion concerning who will use the bike lanes once they’re built. Understanding who is riding will be helpful when thinking about how to attract them to your business. Here are some demographic notes about who’s using the bike lanes.

  • The number of cyclists in the US has increased over the past three years from around 43 million to 47.5 million (2017).

  • 75% of riders travel in groups of two or more.

  • 60% did not identify themselves as “cyclists”.

  • The average age of cyclists was 37.3 (2003).

  • Cyclists' income skews high. 0ne-quarter rider’ household income is above $100,000 (2013).

  • 60 percent of riders identify as men and 40 percent as women (2013).

  • 21 percent of all bike trips in the U.S. were made by people of color (2007).

References and useful information:

Information displayed on this website is gained from third parties and is based on academic research. The information is presented here is to assist businesses wishing to engage with the opportunity presented by the bike lanes. The HBA encourages members to explore the sources of the information displayed through the links below.

https://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/2012-10-measuring-the-street.pdf (Link)

http://uli.org/wp-content/uploads/ULI-Documents/Active-Transportation-and-Real-Estate-The-Next-Frontier.pdf (Link)

https://nacto.org/docs/usdg/consumer_behavior_and_travel_choices_clifton.pdf (Link)

https://www.forbes.com/sites/michelinemaynard/2013/08/27/whos-out-there-on-the-roads-the-4-types-of-cyclists/?sh=35e9b39a7c55 (Link)

https://grist.org/biking/2011-04-06-race-class-and-the-demographics-of-cycling/ (Link)

https://www.sandag.org/uploads/publicationid/publicationid_4609_26092.pdf (Link)