A very recent study, from UC-Davis scholars Natalie Popovich and Susan Handy, analyzed nearly 1,900 shopping trips to downtown Davis made after the opening of a new Target store. Cyclists not only took slightly more trips than drivers did, but spent more per trip—leading to a monthly total spending of roughly $250 for cyclists to $180 for drivers. The results were especially impressive considering they only reflect spending on the type of goods available at Target, not food or services. According to the extrapolated frequencies and per-trip spending— even without accounting for spending on food, drink, and services— study results indicate that the customers who travel by bike to shop downtown spend as much money as their car-driving counterparts or more each month.
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