Türkiye ranks 4th in Europe in bicycle production

• However, e-bike incentives for domestic demand fall short, says World Bicycle Industry Association president, stressing need to invest in safe bike lanes

Türkiye has emerged as the fourth largest bicycle producer in Europe, according to an industry representative.

The country also ranks sixth in Europe in bicycle and e-bikes sales, Bayram Akgul, president of the World Bicycle Industry Association (WBIA), told Anadolu.

However, domestic demand is lagging, he said on the occasion of World Bicycle Day on Wednesday.

“The Confederation of the European Bicycle Industry (CONEBI) reported last year that Türkiye’s production capacity is strong but it’s not sufficiently reflected in the domestic market,” he said.

One of the key reasons is that bicycles are not used as a mode of transportation in daily life, he said.

“Closing this gap via safe and uninterrupted bike paths and incentives are our top priority.”

Akgul stated that Türkiye produced 1.38 million units of bicycles and e-bikes in total in 2024, ranking among the top four manufacturers in Europe alongside Portugal, Italy, and Germany.

“Türkiye’s annual production capacity is enough to exceed this figure, and in the e-bike sector, there’s been a clear upward trend in exports and domestic consumption.”

He noted that Europe has been the largest market for Turkish bicycle exports, led by Germany, along with the Netherlands, Italy, France, and the Scandinavian countries.

Rising demand due to fuel prices

“Fuel prices, vehicle costs, parking fees and city traffic have driven consumers to seek alternatives,” Akgul said.

However, the lack of safe bike lanes remains a challenge.

Akgul said Türkiye imports around $65 billion worth of energy annually, a significant share of which is fuel consumed by the transportation sector.

Using bicycles and e-bikes in urban transportation is “one of the fastest ways to reduce the external dependency in this area,” he said.

This could generate lasting economic value far beyond direct fuel savings through strategic outcomes like the growth of the domestic production ecosystem, increased employment in service and maintenance sectors, and the revitalization of both domestic and global bicycle tourism, he added.

Akgul stated that in Türkiye, around 30% of all trips in major cities are under 3 miles and a massive portion of these short distances could be traveled by e-bikes, leading to a noticeable reduction in the number of vehicles on the road.

“Examples from Europe show switching to e-bikes can alleviate traffic by 40–45% in congested corridors,” he said.

“Around 50% of citizens in Türkiye say they’d use bicycles for short distances if roads were safe, so we can say there’s demand and intent but the infrastructure is lacking,” he added.

Akgul added that the Turkish Health Ministry’s 2015-2018 project 1 Million Bikes for a Healthier Türkiye, as well as the Turkish Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change Ministry’s path network master plan, have largely laid the groundwork for promoting cycling. However, he said there is still no incentive mechanism for e-bike purchases in the country.​​​​​​​

*Writing by Emir Yildirim​​​​​​​