Wanted: Six Cities Yearning to be Bike Friendlier!

For cities that want protected bike lanes but lack the expertise to implement them, the Green Lane Project is soliciting applications to offer technical help (sorry, no funding) now that the initial six recipient cities have implemented cycle tracks.

2 minute read

October 21, 2013, 8:00 AM PDT

By Irvin Dawid


As we described here last August, "protected bike lanes, also referred to as 'cycle tracks' - are a special class of premium bike infrastructure where the bike lane is separated from car traffic by several possible means. It could be a row of parked cars or plastic bollards; sometimes it's just striped paint" (about a foot-wide as opposed to a single, striped line, in which case it may be called a 'buffered bike lane').

Angie Schmitt writes that the Green Lane Project initiative comes by way of "PeopleForBikes, the bike industry-supported advocacy organization." 

In the first round, six cities — Washington, Portland, Austin, Memphis, Chicago, and San Francisco — were selected to help advance their next-generation bike infrastructure.

While 39 cities have been invited to apply for round two, any city with a population 80,000 is eligible.

The last round saw 42 applications from places as varied as Wichita and Pittsburgh. A new round of six cities will be selected for assistance in 2014 and 2015.

How popular are protected bike lanes among bike riders?

A recent poll of New York City cyclists circulated by Transportation Alternatives found overwhelming support for protected bike lanes over preferences for conventional bike lanes, sharrows, or street-riding with no lanes. Michael Anderson of the Green Lane Project writes on Oct. 17 that "a whopping 84 percent said protected lanes were the best".

While Green Lane "does not provide funding for infrastructure, [they] offer small grants (likely $20K to $25K) to the focus cities to aid in the implementation of protected bike lanes", according to the FAQ.

Interested? Applications are now being accepted from governmental agencies only. Submit a letter of intent to apply by November 15, 2013. Applications are due by January 14, 2014. Winners will be announced in March, 2014. Here's what Green Lane Project director Martha Roskowski is looking for:

The winning cities will have a mix of political will, committed staff, and community support to implement ambitious plans for protected bike lanes during the two-year campaign period.

More questions? Answers may be here.

Friday, October 18, 2013 in Streetsblog Capitol Hill

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 9, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Bend, Oregon

Bend, Oregon Zoning Reforms Prioritize Small-Scale Housing

The city altered its zoning code to allow multi-family housing and eliminated parking mandates citywide.

3 hours ago - Strong Towns

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail

The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

4 hours ago - Smart Cities Dive

Green Skid Row mural satirizing city limit sign in downtown Los Angeles, California.

LA Denies Basic Services to Unhoused Residents

The city has repeatedly failed to respond to requests for trash pickup at encampment sites, and eliminated a program that provided mobile showers and toilets.

5 hours ago - Los Angeles Public Press