More Evidence Bike Lanes Can Be More Efficient Than Car Lanes

Contrary to all those cranky newspaper columns about how every last inch of asphalt needs to be allocated to motor vehicles, bike lanes can actually move more people with less street space than general traffic lanes.

Here’s a good example from Toronto. Biking Toronto reports that while bike lanes take up just 19 percent of College Street, cyclists now account for nearly half the traffic in the peak direction during the evening rush:

Anyone who has biked College St at rush hour knows it’s packed with bikes … but last fall Cycle Toronto went out and counted bikes AND cars, and found that bikes make up 46% of westbound vehicle traffic at College and Spadina!!

That’s good news for air quality, for public health, and for the city’s ability to keep people moving as its population grows. Maybe that helps explain why 86 percent of Toronto residents support greater investment in bike infrastructure, according to a recent poll.

Elsewhere on the Network today: Market Urbanism says compact development should not be limited to locations near existing transit routes. Transportationist considers how tolling some roads but not others can have unintended consequences. And Seattle Bike Blog reports that local advocates packed a city meeting this week to demand an end to delays in implementing the city’s bike plan.