Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In

If you build it, they will bike. That's the upshot of a new study from researchers at University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, examining the effect of bike infrastructure.

Bike commutes rates around Minneapolis' Midtown Greenway soared over the last decade. Photo: Wikipedia
Bike commute rates around the Minneapolis Midtown Greenway soared over the last decade. Photo: Wikipedia
Bike commutes rates around Minneapolis' Midtown Greenway soared over the last decade. Photo: Wikipedia

Researchers charted bike commuting rates across the Minneapolis area, finding, not surprisingly, that the biggest increases happened near the biggest investments in safe, comfortable bike infrastructure.

The research team examined cycling rates over a 10-year period among residents near the Midtown Greenway, an off-street bikeway running along the city's south side, which opened in phases beginning in 2000.

They found that bike commute rates skyrocketed among people living within three miles of the greenway, from 1.8 percent to 3.4 percent -- an 89 percent increase. Among people living father away, between three and six miles from the greenway, bike commuting rose at a more gradual pace: from 1.2 percent to 1.8 percent -- a 50 percent increase.

"These data are supportive, but not proof, that a commitment to urban cycling infrastructure can increase active commuting by bicycle," study author Penny Gordon-Larsen told the Obesity Society, a collective of scientists studying obesity. Previous research from Portland State University professor Jennifer Dill has shown that streets with bike lanes attract a disproportionate share of total bike traffic.

The findings of the study were presented to the Obesity Society at the group's annual meeting earlier this month. The full study has not yet been published.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Friday Video: Reining in the Sprawl

Some cities are shifting toward eco-friendly housing. Here are some lessons.

June 6, 2025

Friday’s Headlines Reinvent a Worse Wheel

Because they spend so much time driving without passengers, Uber's Routeshare shuttles won't be much better for traffic or air quality than private cars.

June 6, 2025

Talking Headways Podcast: Keys to San Francisco’s Future

Sujata Srivastava, Chief Policy Officer at SPUR, on an "urbanist decision-making framework for San Francisco’s new mayor."

June 5, 2025

‘War on Cyclists’: NYC E-Bike Speed Limit Panned by Safety Advocates

"Sounds like more flavor-of-the-month hot air," said one activist.

June 5, 2025

Thursday’s Headlines Build It, and They Will Come

Believe it or not, people are more likely to bike when they feel safe. Science proves it.

June 5, 2025
See all posts