Research reveals being bike-friendly makes good business sense

Overview

Action 4.9: Engage with Queensland businesses to assess options for supporting them in providing a welcoming environment and facilities for people arriving by bike.

Lead agency: Department of Transport and Main Roads

Status: Complete

Achievements

We conducted research with Queensland bicycle riders to get insights about their behaviours, barriers and preferences for visiting businesses by bike, and their needs and expectations in relation to bike-friendly businesses.

The results identified bike riders visit businesses on most or every trip they make and the essential features of a bike friendly business are ease of access by bike, secure bike parking and postive attitude of staff toward bike riders.

We engaged a sample of businesses from regional and metropolitan locations to gather insights about their:

• understanding of the bike riding market
• interest in attracting this customer type
• interest in, and preferences for, receiving information about how to provide more welcoming environments for people visiting by bike.

The research identified Queensland businesses are interested in taking advantage of the growing number of people riding for recreation or commuting and are keen to learn how to make their business more bike friendly. 

Next steps

Based on the insights gained through the research, we developed and promoted an online guide for Queensland businesses to learn more about the benefits and tips to become more bike friendly (refer to Action 4.10).