Matt Farr - The Commercial Appeal -

Livability advocates have long touted the benefits of a bicycle-friendly city -- improved air quality, healthier citizens, greater quality of life. But bicycles and the amenities that go along with them can also help to drive a local economy, and Memphians are starting to see the effects of this trend as cycling in Memphis shifts into high gear.

In the past 30 days, three mainstays of the Memphis bicycle industry have expanded their retail space to accommodate the uptick in demand for people-powered transportation. The timing is no coincidence. All three businesses stepped into larger retail venues in October -- the month that marked the one-year anniversary of the Shelby Farms Greenline.

Until recently, Victory Bicycle Studio was a small boutique shop in the heart of Cooper-Young, peddling quality bikes to first-time buyers and elite racers alike. In late October, its owners made a move that is sure to pay off. In anticipation of the planned Overton-Broad Connector -- a cycle track that will connect the Shelby Farms Greenline to Overton Park -- they relocated to the recently reinvigorated Broad Avenue Arts District. Their new space offers more than double the square footage for repairs and more than five times the amount of retail space. Owners Robert Taylor and Clark Butcher plan to increase staff size by more than 40 percent.

Daniel Duckworth, owner of Midtown Bike Company, headed downtown to South Main at the height of the arts district craze. Enthusiasm for South Main has seen its ups and downs, but the demand for bikes has never been better.

Over the past few weeks, Duckworth has been moving his inventory to a new retail space three times the size and a block from his previous location. Duckworth attributes his increased sales and need for more space not only to local efforts to make cycling safer and more accessible, but also to the upward trend in bicycle advocacy efforts nationwide.

A third business, Outdoors Inc., recently expanded into a 2,300-square-foot property next to its Poplar Avenue location, increasing by a third the amount of retail capacity Outdoors Inc. devotes to bicycles at its three Memphis shops.

Outdoors Inc. has also helped promote cycling in Memphis on a national level as host of the longest running cyclocross race in the nation. The 25th annual Outdoors Inc. Cyclocross Championship on Nov. 13 at Green Belt Park on Mud Island will attract riders and spectators from all over the nation, positively impacting the Memphis economy by boosting tourism dollars.

Enhancements to bicycle infrastructure are not only increasing business and creating jobs at traditional retail venues, but are also generating new opportunities for economic growth. Memphis Pedicab Company recently acquired permits to operate pedicabs -- tricycles with a carriage seat for passengers usually covered by a folding top, with a separate seat for a driver who pedals. These pedicabs are already cruising Downtown streets, allowing Memphians and tourists alike to see the city from a whole new perspective, while creating new jobs and new advertising opportunities.

Finally, local nonprofit organizations are working toward educating Memphis' next generation of cyclists. Next month, in partnership with Revolutions Community Bicycle Shop and Peddler Bike Shop, Shelby Farms Park will be teaching kids from the YMCA how to ride and care for the better-than-new bicycles they'll receive at our sixth annual Holiday Bike Recycle. This program has served hundreds of kids over the years, teaching them the environmental, health and economic benefits of bicycles.

With the recent award of a $3.3 million grant to complete the eastern extension of the Shelby Farms Greenline, along with another $1.4 million for 50 more miles of bicycle lanes throughout the city, the future is bright for these young Memphians.

At Shelby Farms Park Conservancy, we raise millions of dollars of private funding each year to keep amenities like the park and Greenline clean, safe and fun, and we design programs that encourage healthy families, youth development and environmental stewardship. With bicycle businesses thriving, nonprofit organizations offering meaningful programs at Memphis' most-loved cycling hot spots, and local government working toward a more livable community that attracts and retains talent, the gears of a reinvented economic landscape are turning.

Matt Farr is manager of education and outreach for Shelby Farms Park Conservancy.