Familiar with the perception that bicyclists are generally kids with no money and too much time? Emily Badger discusses the findings of a study that shows riders out-consume drivers over the course of a month for all businesses except grocery stores.

In the bike-friendly city of Portland, the government plans to encourage new riders by extending bicycle infrastructure to neighborhoods farther from the urban center. The problem, says Kelly Clifton, is "[a]s we move out beyond those areas into more auto-oriented areas, we start to see businesses say, 'Hey, wait a minute. You're taking away on-street parking to put in bike lanes, you're taking away the one parking spot in front of my store to put in a bike corral. I don't see many bikers around here. So what does this mean for me?"
For most business owners, drivers make up the majority of all customers. However, a study [pdf] conducted for the Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium finds that drivers visit establishments less frequently than cyclists and pedestrians, who make frequent trips and end up spending more over a month. "This finding is logical," says Badger, "It's a lot easier to make an impulse pizza stop if you're passing by an aromatic restaurant on foot or bike instead of in a passing car at 35 miles an hour." This behavior doesn't apply to grocery stores where drivers with their greater trunk capacity outspend other travelers.
For the study, Clifton and colleagues surveyed 1,883 people walking out of convenience stores, restaurants and bars; and another 19,654 out of supermarkets. "There are obviously some other factors at play here," admits Badger. "Families with cars are less likely to eat out than single young professionals on a bike. And we'd all prefer that drivers run up smaller bar tabs than pedestrians." Clifton raises the possibility of the "green dividend," which means that Portland's green infrastructure allows people to save on transportation and direct their money towards other expenses.
FULL STORY: Cyclists and Pedestrians Can End Up Spending More Each Month Than Drivers

New York Governor Advances Housing Plan Amid Stiff Suburban Opposition
Governor Kathy Hochul’s ambitious proposal to create more housing has once again run into a brick wall of opposition in New York’s enormous suburbs, especially on Long Island. This year, however, the wall may have some cracks.

A Serious Critique of Congestion Costs and Induced Vehicle Travel Impacts
Some highway advocates continue to claim that roadway expansions are justified to reduce traffic congestion. That's not what the research shows. It's time to stop obsessing over congestion and instead strive for efficient accessibility.

Rethinking the Role of Parking in the American City
In cities big and small, the tide is turning against sprawling parking lots, car-centric development, and minimum parking mandates.

Mapping Sidewalks for Improved Connectivity
A new tool uses aerial image recognition to map a city’s sidewalks and crosswalks. Its developers hope it will aid in creating a more comprehensive understanding of pedestrian networks and where improvements are needed.

Long Beach Residents Oppose Proposed Homeless Services Hub Near Rail Terminus
L.A. Metro’s “end-of-the-line” policy forces people experiencing homeless off transit every night at the same time and location. A proposed hub would provide services a few stops before the end of the line in Long Beach.

The Nation's Most Advanced Secessionist Movement
Legislation supporting the Greater Idaho Movement, which would annex over half of neighboring Oregon, has advanced in the Idaho legislature.
City of Greenville
City of Greenville
Resource Assistance for Rural Environments (RARE) AmeriCorps Program
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Spearfish
City of Lomita
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.