Economic Impacts of Cycling and Trails Study

A 2012 study released by the Iowa Bicycle Coalition and University of Northern Iowa found that cyclists and trails generate $364.8 million in direct and indirect economic impacts on the state. The state’s multi-use trails have since grown to more than 3,600 miles and we anticipate that the economic impacts have grown as well.

With this in mind, the Coalition is launching our new statewide Economic Impact of Cycling & Trails Study for Iowa. We hope to capture updated data the impact of cycling and trails on local economies and small businesses. We plan to share the results of the survey early in 2025.

The Coalition plans to utilize the data obtained by this study to advocate for cyclists and support trails projects across Iowa in the next legislative session. The results of this study will enable us to effectively tell the story of the profound economic and health benefits of trails and cycling with updated data in a way that is compelling to key decision makers and that engages our entire bike community.

Timeline & Phases

• Survey Deployment Phase: August & September
  This is the current phase of the overall project that the study is in and includes all of the things mentioned above.
• Recreational, Commuter & Trail Users Phase: October
  Consultants will evaluate the primary survey data and draw conclusions about the economic impacts and outcomes of recreational and commuter and all trail users.
• Retail Establishments, Organizations, & Clubs: November
  Consultants will evaluate the primary data and also other data sources to draw conclusions about the economic impacts and outcomes of bike friendly businesses, bike clubs, bike organizations, bike shops, and trail associations.
• Health Impacts Evaluation Phase: December
  Consultants will review the primary data collected during the survey deployment phase and then compare that to publicly available secondary data and run it through the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) federal statistics model at the statewide level as well as for three regions across Iowa that are small, medium, and large in population size. They will use that data to provide analysis on the economic and health outcomes achieved from cycling and trails in our state. This now includes positive climate and mental health impacts.
• Writing & Editing & Case Studies: January
  Consultants will draft the final study for review and plan to publish the day before the Iowa Bike Expo on Jan. 24th with a large earnedmedia rollout in conjunction with partners on the project.
  
• Study Rollout Phase: January
  We will roll out the study and send a press release to our statewide press list and provide media availability at a press conference with partners and members of the media. We will produce handouts for policymakers and key decision makers and also work to roll out the study at the statehouse with our lobbying firm.
  
• Study Secondary Phase: 2025-2026
  Based on the level of interest in the study, we will also evaluate the opportunities to unlock full 99-county results for every county that is interested in their local level results.