Coordinated by the Bikes Belong Foundation, and launching today in Chicago, Washington D.C., Memphis, Austin, San Francisco and Portland, Oregon, the Green Lane Project, is an initiative that seeks to showcase the next-generation transportation improvements changing the landscape of America's cities.
"The project will connect elected officials, city planners, traffic engineers, bike advocates and citizens in these six cities to share experiences, trade data and swap ideas, says Project Director Martha Roskowski. Until this year she ran GO Boulder, the alternative transportation effort at the city of Boulder, Colorado, which built its first protected bike lane in the early 1990s."
"For cities, green lanes are like finding a whole new drawer of tools in your toolbox," Roskowski notes. "Our mission is to expand the knowledge on how to use these tools. How to get them on the ground. How to fine tune them. How to make them work best."
According to Jay Walljasper, "the name 'green lane' was chosen not only to draw attention to the typical color of protected bike lanes but also to highlight their potential in improving the urban environment and saving on transportation costs. 'Green lanes are not just a color on the street. They are paths to better cities,' the project's website explains, adding that more people on bikes eases congestion and boosts residents' health, sense of community and economic opportunities."
"The six Green Lane Project cities will receive technical assistance and support, backed by targeted grants to help carry out their plans. Other cities around the country will soon be able to tap into a comprehensive resource center of data, documentation and best practices compiled by the project."
Comments
Green Lanes or green lanes (i.e., is it just the color?)
According to Bikes Belong, these 'Green Lanes' are 'protected' lanes.
"New bike lanes are marked with bright green paint and separated from motor traffic by a series of plastic posts. This means bicyclists glide through the busy area in the safety of their own space on the road.
Pedestrians are thankful that bikes no longer seek refuge on the sidewalks, and many drivers appreciate the clear, orderly delineation about where bikes and cars belong."
However, cities have been painting bike lanes green WITHOUT the protection for some time. As was pointed out in my local bike coalition listserv, the San Jose Mercury News had an article on these lanes just before Bike to Work day:
"The idea of painted bike lanes has been around for a decade. Sunnyvale installed blue lanes on Moffett Park Drive about 10 years ago before state rules made green the color of choice because that color stands out more than lanes in blue."
Irvin Dawid, Palo Alto, CA