Bike infrastructure tends to make vehicle travel faster, improve road safety, and bring more revenue to local businesses.
In an article for CBC, Nicole Mortillaro highlights research from cities around the world that shows that, despite popular misconceptions, bike lanes do not increase traffic congestion.
The article is in part a response to a contentious proposed Ontario, Canada law that would “would require municipalities to get provincial approval to install any bike lanes that would remove a lane of vehicle traffic.”
According to studies, dedicated bike lanes increase the number of people biking and reduce the number of cars on the street. “Bike Share Toronto statistics show that ridership on its network of shared bikes has increased dramatically since 2015, when 665,000 bike trips were made annually. In 2023, that shot up to 5.7 million trips.”
In New York City, the average time it takes cars to travel on a major thoroughfare decreased from 4.5 minutes to 3 minutes after bike lanes were installed. “Other case studies found either no impacts on traffic, or minimal delays — anywhere from a few seconds to just over a minute.”
The article highlights other studies from Canada and beyond, noting that bike lanes are also shown to increase safety for pedestrians by decreasing traffic speeds. And in many cases, they also bring additional revenue to local businesses.
FULL STORY: Do bike lanes really cause more traffic congestion? Here's what the research says
Houston Mayor Pauses Complete Streets Projects
The move raises concerns among road safety advocates who point out that traffic deaths continue to rise.
NYC Streets Plan Remains Largely on Paper
For the second year in a row, the city failed to meet legally required targets for building protected bike lanes and bus lanes.
A Troubling Trend of Backlash to Bike Lanes
Some cities are going so far as to rip out protected bike infrastructure that took years of advocacy to build.
What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities
How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.
USDOT Revokes Approval for NYC Congestion Pricing
Despite the administration’s stated concern for the “working class,” 85 percent of Manhattan commuters use public transit to enter the city.
Tiny House Villages for Addressing Homelessness: An Interview with Yetimoni Kpeebi
One researcher's perspective on the potential of tiny homes and owner-built housing as one tool to fight the housing crisis.
Preserving Altadena’s Trees: A Community Effort to Save a Fire-Damaged Landscape
In the wake of the Eaton Fire, Altadena Green is working to preserve fire-damaged but recoverable trees, advocating for better assessment processes, educating homeowners, and protecting the community’s urban canopy from unnecessary removal.
The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan
Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz reimagines its iconic Bus as a fully electric minivan, blending retro design with modern technology, a 231-mile range, and practical versatility to offer a stylish yet functional EV for the future.
Investigation Reveals Just How Badly California’s Homeless Shelters are Failing
Fraud, violence, death, and chaos follow a billion dollar investment in a temporary solution that is proving ineffective.
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.
Economic & Planning Systems, Inc.
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research