improving lives through bicycling
Bike Camping Trips Pg. 5 July 2014 / Vol. 44 No. 7
cascade.org
The rise of protected bike lanes By McKayla Dunfey, AmeriCorps Volunteer
KEY FINDINGS • 96 percent of people reported feeling safer riding in a protected bike lane. • Protected bike lane can increase safety by 72 percent. • 76 percent of people who lived near a protected bike lane supported installing more protected bike lanes, even if they didn’t personally use the lane. • Protected bike lanes were found to promote predictable traffic behavior. • Over half of residents interviewed believed a protected bike lane improved their street for “all people”. • About 50 percent of riders interviewed indicated they ride more frequently now that they have access to a protected bike lane. • About 19 percent of riders and 20 percent of residents who had bicycled on the street stated how they shopped at businesses along the protected bike lane more frequently after the protected bike lane was installed.
Since 2011 the miles of protected bike lanes have doubled* Miles
Photo courtesy of SF Examiner The protected bike lane is emerging as one of the most effective ways to get people riding
In the fall of 2010, I hopped off a train in Amsterdam. Within an instant, hundreds of bicycles came into view. I rolled my bicycle up to the edge of a bustling on-street bike route where I anxiously waited for a gap in a dense sea of people riding along a completely protected bicycle lane. Riding seemed to be a habitual routine for everyone. I tucked my wheels in behind a woman comfortably pedaling her young son and daughter on a sturdy cargo bike, and I was immediately
caught up in the allure and novelty of riding among such seasoned bicycle commuters of all ages on a street with ample space dedicated to bicyclists. Before 2010, I had never seen an on-street bicycle lane that was completely separated from car traffic. I had never heard of a protected bicycle lane or cycle track. I couldn’t imagine what this kind of bicycle facility might look like and how it might feel to ride my bike on a brightly green painted lane exclusively for bicycles until I experienced riding through the streets of Amsterdam.
PRSRT STD US Postage Paid Seattle, WA PERMIT No. 2172
At the time, protected bicycle lanes were a rarity in the United States with only 80 facilities spread thin on select streets around the country. Fast forward three years and we have 142, which means we’ve nearly doubled the number of protected bike lanes in the United States in a few short years.
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
7400 Sand Point Way NE, Suite 101S Seattle, WA 98115 www.cascade.org
TIME DATED MATERIAL
The protected bicycle lane is emerging as one of the most effective ways to increase the safety, comfort and the number of people riding bicycles in a city. And a recent groundbreaking research by Portland State University has the numbers to prove it. The new study, entitled Lessons from the Green Lanes: Evaluating Protected Bike Lanes in the U.S., examines the impact of protected
*Recreated based on infographic data from PeopleForBikes
bike lanes in five U.S. cities: Austin, Texas; Portland, Ore.; Chicago, Ill.; Washington DC; and San Francisco, Calif. Using more than 200 hours of intersection video footage and thousands of interviews with people who live near and/or use protected bike lanes, the PSU team reveals valuable findings that support the case for installing more protected bike lanes around the country. This new research is the first academic report on protected bike lanes in the United States, and has real potential to change the conversation around bike infrastructure and what bicycling means for communities around the country. We all want better school systems for our children, and having safe, convenient, protected bike facilities to schools is an important part of this equation. Schools, safety, bicycling and city vitality are all intricately linked together. Cities like Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Portland and Seattle now realize
that bikes are truly an important part of building an attractive, competitive, sustainable, lively, healthy city where people want to live. When more people start riding because of protected bike lanes, cities thrive. It’s that simple. Though Seattle has a long way to go toward making our streets safer for everyone who chooses to ride a bike, I’m proud to live in a city that’s prioritizing 100 miles of protected bike lanes as part of the newly adopted 2014 Bike Master Plan. As I think back to my first eyeopening experiences riding on a protected bike lane in Amsterdam just a few years ago, I’m encouraged by the fact that I’ve since had similar experiences riding on protected bike lanes in Seattle along Linden Ave., Broadway Ave., and 65th St. I look forward to many more of these comfortable rides once Seattle builds out the Westlake Protected Bike Lane and 2nd Ave. Protected Bike Lane later this year.
IN THIS ISSUE: A breath of (mostly) fresh air. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg. 3 Bike Camping Tips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg. 3 Remembering the Major Taylor Project. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg. 5 Letter to the Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg. 6 Human-powered Coffee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg. 8