The following is a guest post from mycitybikes.com

Biking is growing fast as a form of recreation and transportation. That's why cost-effective digital bike mapping is becoming a priority for communities across the country. But don't take our word for it! These 5 statistics show why it's important to make biking a priority for your service area this year.

103.7 million Americans ride bikes.

SOURCE: PeopleForBikes
One in 3 Americans ride a bike at least once a year. For comparison, the same study found that 2 in 5 Americans ran or jogged outside at least once a year.

TAKEAWAY: Biking is mainstream. It’s become almost as common as jogging!

The number of Americans biking has grown 29% in the past 5 years.

SOURCE: Statista
The number of people who said they rode a bike in the past 12 months grew from 47.1 million Americans in 2008 to 51.1 million in 2012 to 66.2 million in 2017.

TAKEAWAY: More people are riding bikes today than at any point in the past 10 years.

Cyclists spend more at local businesses than any other group.

SOURCE: Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia
Per capita per week, cyclists spent the most money at local businesses. More than pedestrians, drivers, or those who take public transportation.

TAKEAWAY: Local businesses benefit when people bike.

The number of trips made by bicycle in the U.S. more than doubled between 2001-2009.

SOURCE: National Household Travel Survey, American Community Survey
From coast to coast, the National Household Travel Survey showed that the number of trips made by bicycle in the U.S. more than doubled from 1.7 billion in 2001 to 4 billion in 2009.

TAKEAWAY: Biking to get around has become a popular mode of transportation.

3 in 4 bike share users travel in groups of two or more, and most don’t identify as "cyclists".

SOURCE: Virginia Tech Capital Bike Share Study
A survey of casual bike share users in Washington, D.C. found that 75% were traveling in groups of two or more, and that 60% did not identify themselves as "cyclists".

TAKEAWAY: Bike share and rental is a social activity, and most people who use these resources aren’t bicycling enthusiasts. They’re just regular folks!

My City Bikes creates cost-effective interactive and PDF bike maps to accurately document local bike facilities and help you show residents where to ride.

To learn more, contact My City Bikes here.