Adding Bike Infrastructure is Easier Public Transportation Fix

Really, it's not that challenging for cities to add protected bike lanes. 

In fact, this spring the federal government made it easier for cities to add protected bike lanes. 

"The new rules open the door to treatments like road diets, bike lanes, and street trees — the kind of street designs that lead to a safe pedestrian environment, not high-speed traffic."

Adding bicycle infrastructure builds the livability of a city, making it easier to get around without a car. And when cyclists and pedestrians have easier access to streets, local businesses get more business!

With relatively flat cities like Milwaukee, with wide streets, it should be easy to create a highly-bikeable cities. Bublr Bikes, the Milwaukee bike share program, continues to expand around the city. 

Not only is it critical for increasing cycling traffic, building bike infrastructure could help bridge racially and economically divided cities. 

Crumbling Infrastructure Creates Divisions in Cities

City Lab dissects how a crumbling public transportation infrastructure in many American cities, including Milwaukee, creates a deeper division between rich and poor. 

Since many urban poor can't afford cars and funding is decreased for busses, a way to bridge this division is through bicycle infrastructure. Cities can more affordably build protected bike lanes and put bike-share facilities in under-served neighborhoods. 

Pittsburgh has Ambitious Plan for Cycling Infrastructure

Pittsburgh, PA, has embarked on an ambitious plan to make the downtown area more livable through more pedestrian access and converting traffic lanes into two-way protected bike lanes. Here's an article from Streetsblog about the changes in Pittsburgh and other places. 

Here's a video of the Pittsburgh mayor talking about the city's future plans. Pittsburgh was able to quickly create a protected bike lane, then let the public fully review the process before starting more, as detailed in this post. 

Bike Pittsburgh continues to work to develop more viable bicycle infrastructure in the city. 

Other Cities Plan Networks for Bike Lanes

New Orleans is adding protected bike lanes as well, and urban planner Emilie Bahr has a book for women cyclists in the city.

But unlinked bike lanes won't help solve the problem. You don't want to have your protected bike lane suddenly end in a busy street full of traffic! Seattle is working on that problem.