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The business of green lanes
Six stories from the Green Lane Project about how green lanes are making cities better for employers, retailers and customers.
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SHARE THIS PAGE
Six stories from the Green Lane Project about how green lanes are making cities better for employers, retailers and customers.
View Slideshow »
Washington, DC employers are counting on bikes to help ease traffic congestion downtown
Washington DC cut the ribbon on the L St NW green lane in December, 2012. The 1.3 mile one-way protected lane stretches from Georgetown into downtown, linking to the 15th Street two-way lane. Dignitaries at the ribbon-cutting included Mayor Vincent Gray and representatives from the Downtown DC Business Improvement District (BID).
The BID supported the project (which included removal of about 150 parking spaces) because they are anticipating a 12% jump in travel demand during peak periods over the next 2 years, according to Ellen Jones, Director of Infrastructure and Sustainability for the BID. The increase is due to major new developments (including retail, office, hotel and residential space), a thriving entertainment scene, and more people working in existing office spaces as telecommuting and portable workstations reduce needs for large individual offices.
Providing a range of transportation options, including making riding a bike a safe, attractive and convenient choice for short trips, is key to the BID’s mobility strategy, says Jones.
The Mueller mixed-use redevelopment site brings jobs and housing to Austin's newest neighborhood
Protected lanes are being built into the redevelopment of Austin’s old Mueller airport. The plans for the new Mueller mixed-use urban village were approved by the City of Austin over a decade ago, but were shelved during the economic downturn.
Just a few miles from downtown Austin and the Texas State Capitol, the area will eventually be home to over 10,000 people and host 10,000 jobs. When construction resumed a few years ago, the developer included modern protected green lanes on the main streets rather than the standard bike lanes shown in the original plan. The goal: to make going by bike safer and more appealing, especially for the families who were beginning to move in.
Green lanes are an inexpensive way to create a sense of place
Volunteers in Memphis created a new green lane through an intersection on Cleveland Avenue as part of a city-endorsed, community charette to re-envision the massive shuttered Sears Crosstown building and the surrounding neighborhood.
Once a thriving district, the area now suffers from underused and unused buildings and unsafe traffic conditions in the streets. While volunteers with spray paint is not the standard practice for installing new green lanes, the improvements are a very low-cost and rapid way to transform city streets.
Retail sales increased 49% on 9th Avenue after protected green lanes were installed, compared to 3% growth in the rest of Manhattan
Photo: NYCDOT
“Measuring the Streets,” a 2012 study from the New York City Department of Transportation provides a new set of metrics to measure the value of protected green lanes and other street redesign projects.
The study showed greater increases in sales at local shops and restaurants, reduced vacancies and fewer crashes along corridors where green lanes, plazas and other street improvements were installed compared to similar corridors without changes.
It's not just good for traffic, it's good for business, says Mayor
A model for both its location and the speed with which was developed and implemented, the two-way protected lane on Dearborn Street through the heart of Chicago’s loop has bike supporters nationwide cheering and calling for faster progress in their own cities. But a passion for bikes isn't the driving force behind the project; it's part of a rational economic development strategy.
“It’s part of my effort to recruit entrepreneurs and start-up businesses because a lot of those employees like to bike to work,” said Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who campaigned on a promise of building 100 miles of protected bike lanes in four years. Bike-specific traffic signals at each intersection help ensure safety.
Per visit spending is slightly lower, but people on bikes shop and dine more locally and more often
People shopping on bikes spend more money at local shops and restaurants than those who arrive by car or public transportation, according to new research from Portland State University.
The preliminary findings make intuitive sense. When shoppers arrive by bike or on foot they spend less per visit, but come more often, making their net monthly spending greater. It's also much easier to stop for an impulse purchase when rolling by at 12 mph on a bike than speeding by at 35 mph in a car.
An added bonus for retailers: twelve customers coming by bike can park in the same amount of space as one car.