As Congress begins to debate a potential $250 billion bailout of the U.S. auto industry which may or may not include efforts to link the bailout to the production of more fuel efficient cars, it might be worth looking at another type of green economy opportunity – the revival and expansion of a U.S.-based bike manufacturing sector.
The numbers are revealing and discouraging. Although bike manufacturing in the U.S. has never achieved a significant share of the global market (in 1995, the U.S. produced only 8.8% of all bikes manufactured) that limited manufacturing base has all but disappeared, reduced to an infinitesimal 0.3% of all global production. Compare that to China where bike production has been changed dramatically – although not for domestic consumption but for export! In 1995, China accounted for 41% of global bike production – primarily for its huge domestic market. But by 2007, even as the number of bikes produced domestically declined due in part to rapidly growing car use, its share of the global market for bike production increased to 87%. (See Earth Policy Institute) That means those bikes sold at Wal-Mart are likely made in China.
With bike use increasing, the bike retail numbers still strong even in a depressed economy, and some of our most storied U.S. companies like Schwinn relying on made in China, it would be a very modest investment, undoubtedly less than 0.1% of that proposed for a greenhouse gas generating automobile industry, to truly invest in a green transportation sector to help revive a disappeared sector. Anyone for a bike actually made in the U.S.A.?
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Tags: bicycles, green economy, LABikeSummit
November 17, 2008 at 5:31 pm |
Nice writing. You are on my RSS reader now so I can read more from you down the road.
Allen Taylor
November 17, 2008 at 7:37 pm |
[...] Cars and Bikes– Searching for a Green Economy [...]
December 18, 2008 at 11:42 pm |
[...] There are calls for accountability and a shift in planning to incorporate green economy goals. But, as I argued earlier, stimulating new bike production as part of an overall green transportation economy approach could [...]
December 22, 2008 at 1:06 pm |
[...] In addition to his work on signature projects such as Arroyo Fest and the upcoming Bike Summit Gottlieb has joined the ranks of bloggers. At UEPI’s blog you can read his thoughts and research on the history of bikes in the pre-automobile era and the role of bikes in creating a green economy. [...]
January 21, 2009 at 12:52 am |
[...] our demand for goods coming on ships from across the ocean (see Bob Gottlieb’s previous blog, Cars and Bikes-Searching for a Green Economy). With an American-made bike, I could ride more carefree. Possibly related posts: (automatically [...]
January 26, 2009 at 4:14 pm |
If made in America bicycles cost the same price as bikes made in China, it would be silly to import bikes from China. The only way this would happen is if a high protectionist tariff was placed on imported bikes because the disparity in labor costs is huge. So the real question here is whether US consumers would be willing to pay at least 3 times more than what they’re paying now so they can buy bikes made in the USA. If that wouldn’t work in the best of economic times, I doubt that would fly now…