A protected bike lane increases bike traffic on a street by an average of 72 percent, according to unprecedented research cycling advocates will use to lobby for greater public funding of such infrastructure.
The study, Lessons from the Green Lanes, was conducted by the National Institute for Transportation and Communities at Portland State University (PSU) in Oregon and paid for by the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Summit Foundation and the non-profit bike advocacy organization PeopleForBikes, with in-kind support from the five cities.
It authors taped hundreds of hours of traffic, interviewed 1,100 cyclists and surveyed 2,301 nearby residents and motorists to measure how recently installed bike lanes in Austin, Chicago, Portland, San Francisco and Washington D.C. affected not only bicycle ridership and accident rates, but people’s perceptiaon of the efficacy of protected bike lanes.
Protected bike lanes are on-street lanes separated from traffic by curbs, planters, parked cars or posts to help organize the street and make riding a bike an appealing option for people of all ages and abilities. Because protected bike lanes are relatively new to the U.S, little academic research has existed to help leaders evaluate the risks and rewards of investing in them. In many instances, ignorance and opinioon have filled the vaccum. In New York City, for instance, the construction of more than 350 miles of mostly unprotected bike lanes since 2006 has unleasched a popular backlash in which critics have argued often in direct contradiction of the facts – that bike lanes worsen congestion and undermined pedestrian safety.
Surveys conducted for the Green Lanes study, found 76 percent of 2,283 residents who lived, walked and drove near protected lanes would support construction of protected bike lanes at other locations. Furthermore, drivers thought traffic became more predictable after protected lanes were installed. Most drivers said congestion and drive time didn’t change. Intercept interviews of 1,111 bicyclists using the lanes found 10 percent had shifted from other commuting modes and 24 percent from other bicycle routes they deemed less safe. In 168 hours of video analyzed for safety, studying more than 16,000 people on bikes and nearly 20,000 turning and merging vehicles mostly at intersections, not a single collision or near collisions was observed.
“The timing is great,” said Martha Roskowski, vice president of local innovation for People for Bikes. “The surge of interest in protected bike lanes in cities and towns across the country is being matched by agency work to better understand, refine and standardize the designs. We are delighted to have helped fund this important and rigorous project.”
