A perennial problem for advocates of new rail trail developments and management committees looking for data to use in promotional plans is lack of hard economic benefits data. Visitor counters can provide some numbers for existing trails but measuring dollar values has been a recurring frustration.
At Parliament House in Canberra on Wednesday 20 October a group of enthusiastic politicians, led by the Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, and representatives of the bicycle industry unveiled a report which provides useful facts and figures that can be used to underline the significance of bicycling visitors using rail trails.
Titled the “Australian Cycling Economy 2021 Report“, initiated by We Ride Australia, an arm of the bicycle industry, and delivered by Ernst & Young, it is a study estimating the economic contribution of the cycling economy to Australia in 2020. The study noted that cycling’s input into the Australian economy was $6.3B in 2020 whilst supporting 34,295 FTE jobs. 1.7M bicycles were purchased in 2020 with an estimated 5.8M Australians having spent money on cycling products last year.
This nineteen page report shines a new light on the significance of bicycle use in Australia as a substantial component of the national economy, and its significance for sport, recreation, transport and a contributor to the tourism sector. This Australian Cycling Economy Report lays out the hard facts and it makes very interesting reading.
Bicycle use on rail trails has always been the major component of all visitor traffic and based on this research it will continue to be so and grow into the future.
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Register for news updatesTour de Trail returns in 2023. Cyclists of all ages are invited to ride the Great Victorian Rail Trail (GVRT) for fun an...
Rushworth to Murchison Rail Trail Project (Waranga Section) Update The exciting 11km extension to the current Rushworth ...
A temporary trail has been established by the local community in Victoria’s Hamilton district, to connect the exis...
With the Tweed section of the Northern Rivers Rail Trail reaching the conclusion of construction in March, walkers and c...
The Ringwood-Belgrave Railway Trail in outer Melbourne will become more usable with plans to extend it further north. Cu...
Gannawarra Shire Council in Victoria has recently released its Walking and Cycling Strategy which includes the commitmen...
Over the next six months the next step towards the potential development of the Castlemaine-Maryborough Rail Trail (CMRT...
On 2 December 2022 the Queens Jubilee and commemorative tree planting event was held adjacent to the Mazlin Creek bridge...
Great news to finish 2022, the extension of the Great Southern Rail Trail in Gippsland, Victoria is finally complete. Th...
A proposal to bridge Toorak Rd for the Outer Circle Rail Trail is back on the agenda and under the wing of Victoria’s ...
Inspired by the success of the 5km Rokeby to Crossover Rail Trail, Baw Baw Council is forging ahead with $4million in tr...
The AGM for Monaro Rail Trail Inc was held at the Cooma Library and online on Monday 14 November 2022. The major outcome...
Following on from a successful exhibition at the Melbourne Bike Show last month, RTA were again represented at the inaug...
The Riesling Trail is one of Australia’s oldest and most popular rail trails with many experiences to enjoy in Sou...
On Friday 11 November, the two RTA Regional Reps for South Australia and their partners travelled to Clare to attend the...
The Friends of the Bendigo Kilmore Rail Trail have done a huge amount of work for the O’Keefe Rail Trail and RTA...
2 comments on “Launch of the Australian Cycling Economy Report from Parliament House”
Been trying for years to get a trail between Swan Hill and Lake Boga, have been told by a couple of ex councilors that the money is there is the money there but at all council votes to build it, they have voted it down. Built a multi million dollar drag strip that can't be used because it is to dangerous. So what is happening to the money that is already there for the bike trail??
Great news!