Michael Andersen, Green Lane Project staff writer



Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh.

Much as new rail lines are almost always more controversial than new bus lines, protected bike lanes are almost always more controversial than painted ones.

As software developers sometimes say: That’s not a bug. It’s a feature.

This was the argument made this week by Pittsburgh-based urban advocate Patrick Miner, responding to a TV news spot that questioned whether the city’s Penn Avenue protected lane is worth the trouble, since only 15 people were seen using it during a given hour this month.

After pointing out that (a) the Penn Avenue lanes can’t fully pay off until Pittsburgh connects them to other comfortable facilities, as it’s planning to, and (b) 15 users per hour would make the Penn Avenue project 926 times more cost-efficient than the nearby Mon/Fayette Expressway, Miner added this:

It has been pointed out that greater media attention says a great deal about the progress made by the Pittsburgh bike and pedestrian communities. Redesign of our streets in order to enable safe and convenient non-motorized transportation is now an issue of broad interest, and a big enough deal to argue about on television — for better or worse. Although reading the comment sections on related news articles can be maddening, those who want to perpetuate the oppressive status quo on city streets are losing the argument — square foot of pavement by square foot of pavement.

Miner is right. The goalposts of American civic debate are being moved, and this is exactly what it looks like.

And best of all, the very same phenomenon — that people are likely to notice protected bike lanes while they’re driving in cars — is a big part of the reason protected bike lanes have such a dramatic influence on bicycle ridership once they’re connected into comfortable networks.

Like rail lines, protected bike lanes grab the attention. They communicate to people that yes, there is another way.

That’s something worth talking about.

The Green Lane Project helps U.S. cities build better bike lanes to create low-stress streets. You can follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook or sign up for our weekly news digest about protected bike lanes. Story tip? Write [email protected]

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