Using video to count cyclists researchers found protected bike routes increased ridership from 21% - 171%. Survey data data indicates that 10% of those riders came from other modes of transportation. Overall 91% of survey respondents from all modes, e.g. cyclists, pedestrians, and drivers, agreed that separating bike traffic from cars was desirable. Both cyclists and pedestrians said they frequent businesses more often after the bike lanes were installed.
Researchers also found that
- 96% of all road users believed protected bike lanes improve safety
- 33% of pedestrians believed protected bike lanes improved their safety compared to 13% who thought safety declined
- 25% of cyclists ride more frequently after protected bike lanes were added
- the more physical separation between bike lane and traffic, the more positive the feedback
- planters, flexposts, buffers, etc were all received more positively by road users than paint only designs
- 3x as many respondents said protected bike lanes made the neighborhood more desirable (43% vs 14%)
- 20% of cyclists and pedestrians said they frequent businesses more often after bike lanes were installed
- compared to only 1% and 6% said they went less often
Source: Lessons from the Green Lanes: Evaluating Protected Bike Lanes in the US, 2014