Minneapolis provides evidence of the power of robust bike infrastructure to attract additional bike riders.
"Minneapolis recorded a slight increase in bike use [in 2014], but officials saw a dramatic surge of usage on the city’s first protected bike lanes," reports Steve Brandt.
A bike count from September "found bike traffic up sharply on the Plymouth Avenue Bridge after where the city installed bike lanes separated by plastic tubes from traffic lanes."
"Bike traffic on the bridge is up 81 percent since the city installed the protected lanes during a bridge repair project in 2013. During five years when the bridge offered only shoulders or sidewalks for bikes, the city recorded an average of 350 bikes a day in its annual count. Bike traffic jumped to 720 estimated bikers in its Sept. 11, 2014, count."
Brandt provides more data from the bike count, made timely by the city's funded, but not approved, plans to spend $790,000 to build an additional 30 miles of protected bike lanes in 2015.
FULL STORY: Traffic spikes on protected bike lanes in Minneapolis
Bike Lanes Help Sidewalks, Too
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Minneapolis Getting Bike Friendlier
The city of Minneapolis will add 30 miles of protected bike lanes to its city, especially around Downtown.
The United States' Top Large City for Biking Is...
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Ada County Highway District
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Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
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