City officials are most likely to consider removing a car lane for a dedicated bike lane when there’s an existing infrastructure project planned for the proposed street. The project could be a road diet, where the number of car lanes are reduced; or it could a project to repave the street.

Because city officials already want to improve the street, they’ll be more receptive to your pitch—compared to a street for which officials have no plans.

However, that doesn’t mean they’ll comply. Commonly, city officials believe that removing a car lane will increase congestion. Although often incorrect, the idea is logical: cars must now travel with one less lane.

Studies, however, show that when cities remove car lanes, traffic often remains consistent and crashes decrease:

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