Research: Streets with protected bike lanes and bike lanes attract cyclists

Streetsblog.org reports on a study conducted in Montreal showing the bicyclists prefer streets with protected bike lanes by a wide margin, and also prefer streets with marked bike lanes over other streets by a very significant margin: 

8th Ave Bike Lane in NYC. Photo credit: Bossi on FlickR. License: CC BY-SC-NA 2.0.

By now there’s not much doubt that protected bike lanes can be a game-changer for cycling in U.S. cities. Making streets feel safe to bike on boosts overall cycling rates, attracting people who otherwise wouldn’t even consider cycling. The safety benefits keep accruing as more people on bikes hit the streets, since drivers become more aware of the presence of cyclists and pay closer attention.

Here’s some new evidence demonstrating that bike infrastructure attracts cyclists. A study published in theJournal of Transport and Land Use [PDF] found that intersections in Montreal with protected bike lanes see 61 percent more bike traffic than those without. Meanwhile, intersections with plain old painted bike lanes see a not-insubstantial 36 percent more cyclists. The results demonstrate a strong preference for bike infrastructure — the more separation from traffic, the better. Previous research by Jennifer Dill at Portland State University has also quantified people’s preferences for bike infrastructure over streets without bike lanes. . . .

In addition to the presence and quality of bike infrastructure, they also found a link to land use: the greater the “mix of uses” — or intermingling of retail, housing, and office space — the more bicycling. A 10 percent increase in “land mix,” researchers found, was associated with an 8 percent increase in bicycling. Higher employment density — or the concentration of jobs near intersections — was also found to be a significant predictor of increased bike traffic.

The Strauss and Miranda-Moreno's research here (PDF).

Right now, cities across Missouri are planning or already building facilities like this: Protected bike lanes or (cycle tracks, another word for the same type of facility) in the St. Louis and Kansas City areas, bicycle boulevards in Columbia and Springfield, and more.

What do think?  Will these facilities work in Missouri?  Will they attract more cyclists, as they do in other cities around the U.S. and around the world?  Or is there something special about Missouri that will make things different here?  

Leave your thoughts in our comments section.

Building a world-class bicycle and pedestrian system, increasing the number of Missourians who bicycle and walk regularly, and improving the safety of all road users are among the primary objectives of MoBikeFed's Vision for Bicycling and Walking in Missouri.  Your membership and support helps turn our vision into reality!