14 votes

Report shows bike lane initiative positively impacting traffic in Boston

3 comments

  1. [3]
    GOTO10
    Link
    euh, doh?

    euh, doh?

    1 vote
    1. [2]
      scroll_lock
      Link Parent
      Comment box Scope: comment response, information Tone: neutral Opinion: not really Sarcasm/humor: none Bicycle lanes are usually constructed by removing a travel lane allocated to motor vehicles....
      Comment box
      • Scope: comment response, information
      • Tone: neutral
      • Opinion: not really
      • Sarcasm/humor: none

      Bicycle lanes are usually constructed by removing a travel lane allocated to motor vehicles. Intuitively, one would think this would cause traffic congestion.

      The article's case study in Boston shows that performing road diets (lane reductions) to build a network of bicycle lanes does not create more traffic. This is because bike lanes allows trips otherwise taken by car to be taken by bicycle instead, which is more space-efficient. Counter-intuitively, removing space on the road for cars makes traffic better.

      This is necessary to point out because all movements opposing bicycle lanes cite traffic congestion as a reason not to do it. They are incorrect.

      8 votes
      1. Aerrol
        Link Parent
        While this is heartening data, I'd personally like to see numbers on average door to door commute time, ideally broken down between cars and cyclists. You could very easily have decreased numbers...

        While this is heartening data, I'd personally like to see numbers on average door to door commute time, ideally broken down between cars and cyclists. You could very easily have decreased numbers of cars on the road but increased commute time for drivers due to the reduced lanes worsening traffic. This would still be a net win for the environment but not accurately show that bike lanes improve the drivers experience. And, given that they're needing to be persuaded that this isn't bad for their driving experience, that's pretty crucial information.

        Anecdotally, I've lived in cities that introduced bike lanes poorly and my commute times absolutely increased and parking was made much harder.