Makes the safety, economic, and equity case for why so many cities are investing in bike infrastructure. Covers changes across 13 cities across the US. Discusses the impacts of protected bike networks specifically.
The key takeaways …
- increase ridership overall, e.g. NYC, DC, SF
- increases ridership among women and low income ridership the most
- good for business, e.g. Salt Lake City
- dramatically reduces injuries to all road users
- NYC 40-50% reduction
- Montreal 28% reduction
Includes helpful diagrams on the different types of bike infrastructure.
Note the distinction between designs
- unprotected designs
- sharrows
- bike lanes between parked cars and traffic (door lanes)
- protected designs
- buffered bike lanes
- parking protected lanes
- off-street trails
Key quote …
Despite the benefits of protected bike infrastructure, opposition is common, often because such improvements require cities to remove parking. But those views are typically in the minority. Ultimately, removing parking spots and replacing them with biking infrastructure benefits community health, promotes safety, and provides economic benefits to businesses.
Source
Why cities are investing in safer, more-connected cycling infrastructure, Urban Institute, 2022