Green Lane Project Blog
By Jay Walljasper
May 17, 2013
The newfound popularity of bicycling and the rapid expansion of bicycle lanes doesn’t excite everyone--at least not right away.
“Bike lanes are coming to my neighborhood, and now I will no longer be able to afford living there,” is a common reaction in low-income Portland neighborhoods, says Olivia Quiroz, Educator for the Multnomah County Health Department. Some minority and low-income people view bike lanes as signs of imminent gentrification.
That was a central topic debate on the second and…
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By Jay Walljasper
May 16, 2013
Mention the word “bicyclist” and most people immediately picture someone white and middle-class. The same way the phrase “opera singer” conjures images of a heavy-set woman with her mouth wide open.
In truth, some opera singers are slender and some Latinos, African-Americans, Asian-Americans, Native Americans and low-income people ride bikes. Actually Latinos bike at about the same rate as whites, and the lowest-earning quarter of the U.S. population bikes at…
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May 15, 2013
City leaders from six U.S. cities will convene today in Austin, Texas to kick off an unprecedented two-day leadership summit to discuss green lanes and equity. The focus of the summit is on building support for modern, next-generation green lanes, also called protected bike lanes or cycletracks, and related street safety improvements in low-income neighborhoods and communities of color.
The summit has assembled transportation professionals, policymakers and community leaders from Austin, Chicago, Memphis, Portland, San Francisco and Washington, DC, who are working to transform their cities’ streets to provide balanced, equitable urban mobility. The city leaders will…
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By Michael Andersen
May 15, 2013
Most "best cities" rankings are the urbanist's equivalent of a "men are like this, women are like that" standup routine: easy, dull and maddeningly good at catching your attention.
But once in a while, a ranking is actually worth watching. One of those came out this week.
It's called Bike Score, and here's what makes it different – especially for those of us who believe in physically separated bike lanes: its data goes all the way down.
For example, here's…
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By John Greenfield
May 14, 2013
Final CDOT design for Berteau Street between Ashland Avenue and Greenview Street.
It’s been a long time in the making, but it looks like the Berteau Neighborhood Greenway, Chicago's first bike boulevard, will be debuting this summer. On Friday, 47th Ward Alderman Ameya Pawar announced that in June the Chicago Department of Transportation will begin construction of the greenway, a traffic-calmed, bike-priority street, in his North Side district, on a one-mile stretch between Lincoln Avenue and Clark Street. The work will start immediately…
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By Alexis Chavez
May 14, 2013
San Francisco celebrates National Bike Month this May, with bike related events and activities taking place all month-long. From the biggest biking day of the year, to recreational rides, you can enjoy springtime in the city from the comfort of your own bike seat. So whether you are considering navigating the city by bike for the first time, or already actively ride, these events are great ways to introduce even more San Franciscans to biking.
Bike to Work Day
Thousands of people pedaled their way to work for the 19th Annual Bay Area Bike to…
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By David Cranor
May 12, 2013
By the end of summer, people in Washington, DC should be able to ride the new M Street cycle-track from downtown DC to Georgetown. Last week transportation planners, neighborhood leaders, a pair of city council members and dozens of potential users walked the length of the future cycle-tracks in a Washington Area Bicyclist Association event called "Walk the Tracks" which was supported by Bike Belong's Green Lane Project.
M Street as it looks today
…
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By John Greenfield
May 09, 2013
CDOT rendering of protected lane on Milwaukee, looking southeast from Ogden.
At a recentcommunity meeting at Intuit arts center, the Chicago Department of Transportation discussed its vision for innovative bike lanes on Milwaukee Avenue, connecting existing protected lanes on Kinzie Street and Elston Avenue. The plan, which is actually much more ambitious than what was outlined on the CDOT website prior to the…
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By David Cranor
May 06, 2013
In 2013, the Washington, DC Department of Transportation (DDOT) plans to build 5 miles of bike lane and 5 miles of shared lane, but of all those projects none are as highly anticipated at the M Street cycle track.
The M Street cycle track was one of three separated bike facilities included in the 2005 Washington DC Bicycle Master Plan - along with the popular 15th Street cycle track and one on 17th that was subsequently removed from planning - so people on bikes have been waiting nearly a decade for its installation. As…
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