A new research study is underway at Portland State University to measure the impact of protected bike lanes or “green lanes. The study is collecting quantitative data to examine ridership, safety and the economic impact of green lanes in six major U.S. cities.
The study kicked off in September 2012 and will run through December 2013 and attempt to answer several questions including whether the lanes encourage more people to ride and how they affect local business, drivers and pedestrians. Researchers will rely on video data collection in each of the Green Lane Project cities — Austin, Texas; Chicago; Memphis; Portland, Oregon; San Francisco; and Washington, D.C.
Bikes Belong launched the Green Lane Project in May 2012.
Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium researchers Chistopher Monsere, Jennifer Dill and Kelly Clifton are leading the research at PSU.
The Bikes Belong Foundation’s Green Lane Project is helping to fund the research through a $75,000 pass-through grant from the Summit Charitable Foundation, a philanthropic organization in Washington, D.C.
In addition to the funding from the Summit Charitable Foundation, the study has received $160,000 from the National Institute for Transportation and Communities, $20,000 from the Bikes Belong Foundation and in-kind support from Green Lane Project cities.
A comprehensive report of the study findings will be released in January 2014. Results and feedback based on this study will help to determine the trajectory of the Green Lane Project, after two years in operation.
