Bicycle Lanes

Bicycle lanes, also called "cycle lanes" or "bike lanes," are physically demarcated paths used to accommodate bicycle traffic either separate from or alongside automobile or pedestrian traffic. The earliest designated bicycle lanes were built in the late 1800s, shortly after the emergence and spread of the bicycle in Europe and the United States. As the automobile rose in popularity from the 1930s to the 1960s, bicycling declined in popularity. A resurgence in urban bicycling from the 1970s to the 2010s led to an increase in the creation and upkeep of urban bicycling infrastructure such as improved bike lanes on roadways, designated bikeways, and amenities such as bike racks and traffic signage. According to Bicycling magazine in 2023, the number of people riding bikes in cities spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic when they sought to avoid trains, buses, and subways. This increase in bicycling led to the construction and improvement of bicycle lanes.

At times, the creation and maintenance of bicycle lanes has become a controversial issue in some urban environments. A major debate concerns segregated bicycle lanes, which are physically buffered from automobile traffic and are therefore safer but more expensive than the "painted" bicycle lanes used in many cities. Another issue surrounds pedestrians and cyclists using public pathways open to both walking and bicycle traffic.

Background

The bicycle was first invented in Europe in the early 1800s but was not seen as a recreational or exercise device until the 1880s and was rarely used as an alternative to horse-powered transportation. The safety bicycle, invented in the 1880s, featured a number of key innovations, including two wheels of equal size (replacing the oversized front wheel design that had been in vogue in the 1870s) and a rear chain propulsion system that provided greater thrust and speed. During the 1890s, cycling skyrocketed in popularity in both Europe and the United States and became the most popular form of transportation by the end of the century. The increased call for bicycles helped to foster techniques used in mass production that would be adapted by Henry Ford when he developed the moving assembly line.

Bicycle clubs in both Europe and North America were responsible for promoting designated bicycle lanes in the major cities. The League of American Bicyclists (then known as the League of American Wheelmen), founded in 1880, became one of the most influential pro-bicycling organizations in the nation. As part of the good roads movement of the late 1800s, the league supported the construction of the first bicycle lanes by converting stone paths used for horses and pedestrians into paved bicycle lanes. This also led to the first bicycle-related controversies between pedestrians and cyclists concerning safety and the right of way and on shared pathways.

Bicycles outnumbered cars in the United States by nearly seventeen to one until the late 1930s. The transformation of bicycle lanes to accommodate automobiles occurred slowly between the 1930s and 1960s. Though cycling was still allowed on these shared use roads, the popularity of cycling declined precipitously as automobile ownership became possible for a greater proportion of the population. By the 1960s, cycling for commuting or transportation had been reduced to a niche interest in the United States.

The rapid increase in gasoline prices during the 1970s brought about a resurgence of cycling in parts of Europe. The German and Danish governments invested heavily in bicycle infrastructure during the 1970s and, as a result, cities in these countries were among the most bicycle friendly in the world by the end of the decade. In the United States, development of bicycle infrastructure did not significantly expand until the 1990s and 2000s, when increasing environmental awareness and a desire to reduce automobile congestion and emissions in major cities inspired a more dedicated urban cycling movement across the nation.

According to data collected by the US Census Bureau, the number of commuters using bicycles nearly doubled from 488,000 in 2000 to 882,198 in 2013. In New York and Chicago, bicycle commuting more than doubled during the same period. Despite this growth, cycling was much less popular in the United States than driving or walking. In 2013, nearly three times as many Americans chose to walk to work rather than use a bicycle.

Factors that boosted interest in bicycling included rising petroleum prices, increased costs of automotive ownership and maintenance, traffic and parking congestion, increased concern about global warming, pollution, and environmental degradation, and an increased interest in health and exercise-related activities. As a result of many of these factors, state governments nationwide actively promoted bicycling in 2013.

Bicycling increased about 25 percent in most cities in 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, because it was a safe way to travel. According to Bicycling magazine, the number of riders remained the same in 2022 and 2023, which meant that those riding bikes during the pandemic continued to do so afterwards.

Bicycle Lanes Today

The growth of cycling differs according to nation, region, and environment. For instance, in cities like Los Angeles, cycling remains unpopular due to the difficulty of cycling over longer distances and a lack of dedicated bicycle lanes and facilities. In addition, strong automobile lobbies in the United States and other countries have limited governmental investment in bicycle infrastructure. Analyses of cycling in Europe indicate that greater initial investment in bicycle infrastructure leads to rapid growth in the popularity of cycling for transportation.

Types of bicycle lanes used in the United States include conventional bike lanes, which use pavement markings and/or signs to designate bike-only traffic areas. These lanes usually run in the same direction as automobile traffic and are often on the shoulder of the road. In many urban environments, bicycles and public buses often share a lane of public streets. Another type of bicycle lane is the contraflow lane, which involves converting a one-way road into a two-way road with bicycles occupying a lane running in the opposite direction from automobiles. The use of contraflow bicycle lanes is said to increase visibility and reduce cycle-automobile accidents. Buffered bike lanes, which are arranged on the sides of roads but with painted buffer zones to separate bike and automobile traffic, are also touted as a way to reduce collisions.

The safest type of bicycle lane is the segregated, or protected, bike lane. This is a specialized type of buffered lane with a physical barrier separating bicycle and automobile traffic. The barriers often consist of simple fences or stone walls, or they may involve constructions of small berms or planters, which combine function with aesthetic urban design. The national cycling organization People for Bikes argues that protected bicycle lanes have helped make bicycle commuting popular in Europe, and more cyclists commute when safer options like segregated lanes are available. In 2023, Philadelphia added or restriped more than 28 miles of bike lanes, including 9.8 miles of segregated lanes.

Bike lane construction has caused controversy in some areas. Concern among motorists about lost parking availability when lanes are created along the sides of streets and in having to share public roads with cyclists has heightened conflict and enmity among the two groups. Despite automobile lobbyist groups reportedly preventing or delaying the implementation of bicycle lanes in some US cities, public surveys indicate that the majority of Americans approve of increased investment in bicycle infrastructure. Furthermore, cycling organizations argue that segregating traffic is the best way to avoid conflicts and promote safety for both cyclists and motorists.

Some cycling organizations argue that bicycles and automobiles should continue to share the same space: bicycles reduce the average speed of automobiles in urban areas, thereby buffering the traffic and making the streets safer for pedestrians. In addition, supporters of integrated traffic argue that bicycles help to make the most efficient use of the streets, thereby maximizing available resources rather than investing in dividing traffic.

The organization PeopleForBikes launched the Great Bike Infrastructure Project in 2023, which aimed to map all forthcoming segregated bike lanes, off-street trails, and bike parks within communities. PeopleForBikes pointed out that the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law significantly increased the amount of federal funding available for bicycling.

Bibliography

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