Santa Barbara companies, large and small, are discovering that cycling is good for business. In June, over 105 business leaders and elected officials gathered at Sonos for a CycleMAYnia mixer to promote bicycle-friendly businesses. Civic leaders across the country are recognizing that bicycling can be a game changer. Ten years ago, most businesspeople weren’t even thinking about bikes as a part of their business.
Both nationally and locally, civic and business leaders are paying attention to the Millennial Generation’s wish for lively, livable places to work and play. These young people represent the creative class, a talent pool that many companies covet. Richard Florida, an urban studies theorist who coined the phrase creative class, has described these in-demand workers as “less interested in owning cars and big houses. They prefer to live in central locations, where they can rent an apartment and use transit or walk or bike to work.”
As a result, young people today are driving significantly less than previous generations. The Federal Highway Administration reports that between 1995 and 2009 the miles traveled by drivers under 30 dropped from 21 to 14 percent of the total. Even Motor Trend magazine notes that young professionals living in urban areas are less inclined to buy cars and “more likely to spend the money on smartphones, tablets, laptops, and $2,000-plus bikes.”