Bikes outsell cars Down Under

Bicycle sales outpaced vehicle sales in 2006, as more Australians turned to pedal-power to cut petrol bills. The Cycling Promotion Fund (CPF), Australia's peak bicycle promotion group, said 1,273,781 new bikes were sold last year, well ahead of the 962,521 new cars and trucks retailed. CPF spokesman Ian Christie said Australians were using bikes not just for recreation but increasingly as their preferred form of day-to-day transport. Mr Christie said sales rose nine per cent last year as more people turned to bikes to cut petrol costs and also to boost their fitness.