With the rise of bike share programs, demand for bike lanes has never been higher. The National Association of City Transportation Officials estimated that over 35 million bike share rides were taken in 2017, up 25 percent from 2016. Cities across the country are jumping on the proverbial bandwagon by investing in new infrastructure, but they should not apply a one-size-fits-all approach to every road.
One alternative in some areas is having cyclists share the road with cars, riding in the middle of the lane where they are visible. A public campaign would focus on the need to respect cyclists—and for cyclists to follow the rules of the road.
Bikes make transportation more flexible by filling in the gaps left by public transportation systems at the same time as encouraging exercise. This flexibility is crucial, as individuals in cities are slowed by traffic. For example, Los Angeles drivers spent on average 102 hours in traffic last year. According to the INRIX Global Traffic Scorecard, congestion in cities resulted in $305 billion worth of lost productivity in the U.S. last year. In high-density areas, bike lanes can reduce time lost.
However, new innovation ends poorly if not implemented properly and safely. Bike lane construction that results in a reduction in the number of car lanes is counterproductive, and expansion outside of city centers where bikes are not as useful is a waste of money. Cities must find a delicate balance between bike safety, car usage, and business accessibility.
Poor bike lane design puts people at risk. Washington D.C. learned this the hard way when a cyclist was killed last week after being run over by a truck at an intersection. Neither party saw the other because the bike lane was placed between the curb and parked cars.
The city has since removed parking spaces between lanes where the accident occurred to make cyclists more visible, but Washington still has many stretches with similarly-designed bike lanes. Drivers cannot see bikes moving rapidly behind the wall of parked cars, and are likely to hit cyclists when turning into a garage or an intersection. Safety should have been considered prior to construction, not after tragedy.
Bike lanes should be well-defined with bikes easy to spot. The Dutch have perfected seamless integration of bike lanes at intersections with strategically-placed concrete
Independent companies such as Lime, Bird, and Ofo have entered the market to provide cheap transportation through dock-less bikes and scooters, and after successful funding campaigns, these companies are prepared to expand. Therefore, governments have no need to subsidize city-controlled bike share programs such as Citi Bike in New York City and Divvy in Chicago.
These transportation considerations have major business implications. Parking spaces are often the first victims when bike lanes are built, leading business owners to speak out against infrastructure changes. But parking spaces should not be a victim of bike accessibility. Bike lanes in the middle of roads are compatible with parked cars. A study by Portland State University professors found cyclists spend more time at local shops than their car-travelling counterpa
However, businesses on the outskirts of towns do not have the same customer bases as downtown storefronts, so bike favoritism is damaging in these areas. Stores in Cambridge, Massachusetts saw business decline when new bike lanes wiped out 15 parking spots. City officials must listen to residents and gauge potential consequences based on local circumstances before rushing to build as many bike lanes as possible.
Many cities have received pushback after expanding excessively. In Baltimore, citizens demanded a bike lane in Roland Park be removed after its poor design had caused multiple accidents, and in Columbia, South Carolina, a three-mile stretch of bike lanes on Farrow Road is being dismantled due to an uptick in traffic incidents.
Bike lanes, if safe, can provide economic benefits. However, problems will ensue if city planners employ broad plans that focus on uniformity rather than specialization in the specific needs of each area. High-density areas are prime candidates for bike infrastructure, but this does not mean the suburbs will fit into the same mold. Cities must recognize that a bad bike lane is worse than no bike lane at all.
Stephen Vukovits is a contributor to Economics 21. Follow him on Twitter @svukovits.
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