An Inventory of Protected Bike Lanes

Cities around the United States have built nearly as many protected bike lanes in the past two years as they did in the previous 140.

1 minute read

February 4, 2015, 6:00 AM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Vancouver Protected Bike Lane

Paul Krueger / Flickr

The Green Lane Project released an updated inventory of protected bike lanes around the country, noting the quick rate of adoption for the most robust form of bike infrastructure. "Between 1874 and 2011, only 78 of these facilities were built nationwide. Our inventory shows that this number nearly doubled to 138 protected bike lanes witin [sic] the first two years of the Green Lane Project. 60 percent of the new lanes were in the Green Lane Project's six founding focus cities: Austin (6), Chicago (17), Memphis (1), Portland (2), San Francisco (9) and Washington DC (2). By the end of 2014, 191 protected lanes were on the ground across the country."

The main purpose of the post is to share an updated inventory of current protected bike lanes in North America, which is available in Google Drive as well as for download, but the Green Lane project has also prepared the video below to explain the differences between protected bike lanes and other forms of bike infrastructure. 

Tuesday, February 3, 2015 in Green Lane Project

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Concrete Brutalism building with slanted walls and light visible through an atrium.

What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities

How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.

February 28, 2025 - Justin Hollander

Complete Street

‘Complete Streets’ Webpage Deleted in Federal Purge

Basic resources and information on building bike lanes and sidewalks, formerly housed on the government’s Complete Streets website, are now gone.

February 27, 2025 - Streetsblog USA

Skating rink under freeway in Bentway park in Toronto, Canada.

Montreal’s Gorilla Park Repurposes Defunct Railway Track

The park is part of a global movement to build public spaces that connect neighbors and work with local elements to serve as key parts of a city’s green infrastructure.

February 24, 2025 - The Globe and Mail

People walking down Bourbon Street in New Orleans at night.

Bourbon Street Could Be a Model for Pedestrian Spaces

The conversation around pedestrianizing public streets isn’t new — think Times Square. Could one of America’s oldest streets lead the way in a revival of the pedestrian mall?

17 minutes ago - Streetsblog USA

Rush hour traffic jam of cars, buses, taxis and trucks on the Williamsburg Bridge in Brooklyn, New York City with the colorful glow of sunlight in the background.

Multiple Lawsuits Aim to Save NYC Congestion Pricing

Environmental and transit advocacy groups, along with the MTA, are suing USDOT over its recent crusade to end the cordon pricing program.

1 hour ago - Sierra Club

Massachusetts state capitol with gold dome in Boston, Massachusetts.

Massachusetts Gov. Makes Case for Road Funding Reforms

A package of proposed bills would change the state’s road funding formula to ensure more money flows to rural areas with limited resources.

2 hours ago - WAMC

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.