North America has experienced a 5% jump in rates of cycling since the U.S. started staying home. As electric bikes enjoy impressive sales increases, cities around the world consider making the shift permanent by planning bike-friendly infrastructure.
Electric bike sales are booming worldwide as more travelers opt for alternatives to cars and public transportation. Thomas Ricker and Andrew J. Hawkins, as well as many public officials and community members, urge that this trend should be made permanent. Cities around the world, they say, need to provide bike-friendly infrastructure to make possible a considerably less car-reliant future.
"It’s a remarkable transformation, but it could all be undone if cities aren’t bold in how they reimagine their streetscapes," warn Ricker and Hawkins. In Paris, plans are being made to convert a city-spanning thoroughfare into a bike highway.
Some other cities, unfortunately, aren't following the lead. In many cases, "the COVID-19-era transportation measures being rolled out by cities are being done so timidly, often behind the guise of temporary change," according to Ricker and Hawkins, attributing the hesitancy to an assumption that a return to business as normal necessitates car-reliance. Calls to action resonate with those who see new transportation trends as an opportunity to restructure and reprioritize the way people travel through cities.
"If not now, when?" question Ricker and Hawkins.
FULL STORY: CITIES ARE TRANSFORMING AS ELECTRIC BIKE SALES SKYROCKET
How Electric Bikes Help in Battling COVID-19
For the last six months, the world has been on a stand-still. As government-imposed lockdowns spread across the country in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, people have been looking left and right for alternatives to cope with the “new normal.”
Bogotá Commits to the Bicycle
Colombia's capital city, the birthplace of the Ciclovía, is devoting public space to bikes during lockdown. To reduce traffic, the city plans to allocate even more public space to bike infrastructure and sustainable mobility moving forward.
New York Poised to Become a Biking City
Could the pandemic be a tipping point for a century of car-centric planning in New York City's to give way to a more bike-friendly city?
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Restaurant Patios Were a Pandemic Win — Why Were They so Hard to Keep?
Social distancing requirements and changes in travel patterns prompted cities to pilot new uses for street and sidewalk space. Then it got complicated.
Map: Where Senate Republicans Want to Sell Your Public Lands
For public land advocates, the Senate Republicans’ proposal to sell millions of acres of public land in the West is “the biggest fight of their careers.”
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.
San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.
California Homeless Arrests, Citations Spike After Ruling
An investigation reveals that anti-homeless actions increased up to 500% after Grants Pass v. Johnson — even in cities claiming no policy change.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
Custer County Colorado
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)