Emily Badger discusses new research showing that dedicated bike infrastructure has a demonstrated impact on reducing the risk of injury for cyclists.
For years now, transportation engineers and advocates of bike infrastructure have debated whether cyclists fare more safely on major streets or in bike lanes. Badger explains that, based on the "vehicular cycling" concept popularized 40 years ago, the former believes that "you're actually better off learning to ride alongside cars than having your own bike lane," but the latter argues that this way of thinking is counterintuitive.
The findings of a new study published in the American Journal of Public Health on cyclist injuries shows that "infrastructure really matters," writes Badger. "Your chance of injury drops by about 50 percent, relative to that major city street, when riding on a similar road with a bike lane and no parked cars. The same improvement occurs on bike paths and local streets with designated bike routes. And protected bike lanes – with actual barriers separating cyclists from traffic – really make a difference. The risk of injury drops for riders there by 90 percent."
Read the full story: Dedicated Bike Lanes Can Cut Cycling Injuries in Half
Nation's Top Safety Board Recommends Protected Bike Lanes
The NTSB chair issued a stark warning on Nov. 5: "If we do not improve roadway infrastructure for bicyclists, bicyclists will die who otherwise would not," stated Robert Sumwalt in introducing their first report in 47 years devoted to bike safety.
Checking in on Philadelphia's Promised Protected Bike Lanes
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kinney is discovering on the job that planning is much easier than delivering when it comes to protected bike lanes—as is the case in many cities around the country.
A First: Private Sector Prepares Regional Bike Plan, Backed with Cash
There are intercity Google buses, Google ferries, and now, a Google bike plan to connect neighboring Silicon Valley cities to the growing North Bayshore area of Mountain View. Google is offering $5 million to cities to implement the plan.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Amtrak, CN end decades-long dispute with eight-year agreement
The new operating agreement establishes an updated framework for the companies to work together, including processes to resolve disputes.
Judges permit Denver to divert 77,000 acre feet from the Colorado River for reservoir expansion
Overuse and climate change have caused the Colorado River’s water levels to plummet.
NYC DOT wants faster, more permanent street upgrades
The city is examining ways to build more concrete infrastructure without getting entangled in 'decades-long' projects.
'Something we’ve never seen before:' rising utility rates could strain city finances nationwide
Data centers, climate change and other factors have caused utility rates in the United States to increase by 38% since 2020.
Trump to overrule local leaders, lease millions of acres of America’s Pacific Island territories’ seafloors to mining companies
International law says that the Indigenous people of America’s territories have a right to prior and informed consent regarding projects that impact their countries.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
KFH Group Inc.
Greater Baltimore Committee
Eagle County Government
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello