Number of Protected Bike Lanes in America Nearly Doubled in 2012
They're the Cadillac (or, should we say, the Colnago) of bike infrastructure: protected bike lanes.
But on-street bikeways that give cyclists some measure of physical protection from traffic have been more or less unheard of in American cities -- until recently. After New York City implemented a protected bike lane on Ninth Avenue in 2007, the treatment began to spread. Now, through their Green Lane Project, Bikes Belong is on a mission to make this type of bike lane an unremarkable sight in the United States. And cities are making real progress on that front.
The Green Lane Project blog reports today that the number of "green lanes" in American cities has almost doubled over the last year:
Although these protected on-street bike facilities have long been a staple in Europe, they’ve only recently gained traction in the U.S. Between 1874 and 2011, only 62 were built nationwide. The new inventory shows that this number will nearly double to 102 protected green lanes on the ground in 32 U.S. cities by the end of 2012. Building on this momentum, the U.S. is projected to add another 100 green lanes in 2013.
For many riders, the stripe of paint is not enough to make riding a bike for every day travel an attractive and comfortable option.
Sixty percent of Americans say they would bike more often if they had a safe place, like a green lane, to ride. This point was validated by a recent study in Washington D.C. that revealed bicycling increased 200% on Pennsylvania Avenue after green lanes were installed.
Elsewhere on the Network today: Bike Portland reports that the Oregon Department of Transportation recently added a buffered bike lane on a rural highway. Greater Greater Washington provides on update on DC's revisions to its parking policies, which would eliminate mandatory parking minimums in many parts of the city altogether. And Rebuilding Place in the Urban Space says Grover "No Tax" Norquist and his acolytes are trying to prevent Virginia from raising its gas tax.
Stay in touch
Sign up for our free newsletter
More from Streetsblog USA
Friday’s Headlines Got Served
Another day, another GOP lawsuit trying to overturn a Biden administration climate change rule.
Disabled People Are Dying in America’s Crosswalks — But We’re Not Counting Them
The data on traffic fatalities and injuries doesn’t account for their needs or even count them. Better data would enable better solutions.
Talking Headways Podcast: Charging Up Transportation
This week, we talk to the great Gabe Klein, executive director of President Biden's Joint Office of Energy and Transportation (and a former Streetsblog board member), about curbside electrification.
Why Does the Vision Zero Movement Stop At the Edge of the Road?
U.S. car crash deaths are nearly 10 percent higher if you count collisions that happen just outside the right of way. So why don't off-road deaths get more air time among advocates?
Donald Shoup: Here’s a Parking Policy That Works for the People
Free parking has a veneer of equality, but it is unfair. Here's a proposal from America's leading parking academic that could make it more equitable.
