Bicycle Commuting and Facilities in Major U.S. Cities: If You Build Them, Commuters Will Use Them

Some surveys indicate that providing bicycle lanes and paths may encourage more people to commute by bicycle. The presence of a striped lane or separated path can increase a cyclist’s perception of safety. With growing concerns over traffic congestion and vehicle pollution, public policy makers are increasingly promoting bicycling as an alternative for commuting and other utilitarian trip purposes. State and local spending on bicycle facilities has increased significantly over the past decade. Previous studies have linked higher levels of bicycle commuting to various demographic and geographic variables. At least one analysis showed that cities with higher levels of bicycle infrastructure (lanes and paths)…