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.
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.
Read the full story: Green Lane Project Looking for Six New Cities With Big Bike Ambitions
Got Protected Bike Lanes?
While Angie Schmitt doesn't ask this question in her article on the movement behind these lanes, she writes that cities without them "are being left behind". They're popular because they effectively address the #1 reason for not riding: safety
How Protected Bike Lanes Benefit Businesses
Can your city afford not to install protected bike lanes? Michael Andersen previews a coming report from the bike lane advocacy organization Green Lane Project and the Alliance for Biking and Walking that shows how such lanes help local businesses.
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.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
‘Going backwards:’ Baltimore mayor, students rally against state's transit funding plan
Maryland's proposed six-year plan provides no funding for Baltimore’s BMORE bus program and reduces its road maintenance funding.
Mamdani sent nearly 6,000 pied-à-terre tax warnings to homes that didn’t qualify
A judge has ordered the administration to cancel thousands of pied-à-terre tax notices after it sent 35% of them erroneously.
Newsom vetoes high-speed rail supervision bill after agency receives condemnatory audit
The audit found the CHSRA approved almost $600,000 in unallowable travel expenses.
Nation sees first electric plane-boat hybrid take off in public demo
The Viceroy Seaglider can fly at speeds of 180mph for up to 180 miles.
One of nation’s poorest counties to receive $6 billion data center
The developers estimate the project will create 200 permanent jobs and 1,000 temporary construction jobs.
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.
City of Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA)
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello