Making Way for Bicycle Infrastructure

The document outlines the environmental and economic benefits of bicycle infrastructure, noting that federal investment rose from $22.9 million in 1992 to over $970 million in 2017. It describes various infrastructure types, such as protected lanes and bike-sharing systems, and highlights a significant increase in cycling and e-bike sales during the Covid-19 pandemic. Data indicates that bicycle commute shares rose in many major U.S. cities between 1990 and 2015, and research suggests that replacing car lanes with bike lanes often has positive effects on local retail and food service businesses.

• Federal investment in bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure increased significantly over two decades, rising from $22.9 million in 1992 (adjusted to $39.2 million in 2017 dollars) to more than $970 million in 2017, although it was slightly reduced to $925 million in 2020 during the Trump Administration.
• Research indicates that replacing car lanes with bicycle or pedestrian lanes generally results in positive or non-significant economic effects, with cyclists and pedestrians often spending more per month in commercial areas than those arriving by car or transit.
• The Covid-19 pandemic accelerated the use of bicycles and e-bikes globally and in North America, with North American cycling increasing by 5 percent as of May 2020 and some U.S. regions seeing weekend increases of over 100 percent.
• Bicycle commuting shares in the United States grew between 1990 and 2015 across a diverse sample of cities; for example, Portland, OR increased from 1.2% to 6.4%, and San Francisco, CA increased from 1.0% to 14%.

APA

Nunno, R. (2021). Making Way for Bicycle Infrastructure. Environmental and Energy Study Institute. https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/making-way-for-bicycle-infrastructure

Chicago

Nunno, Richard. Making Way for Bicycle Infrastructure. Environmental and Energy Study Institute, 2021. https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/making-way-for-bicycle-infrastructure.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Nunno |first1=Richard |title=Making Way for Bicycle Infrastructure |publisher=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |date=27 May 2021 |url=https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/making-way-for-bicycle-infrastructure |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{nunno2021making, author = {Nunno, Richard}, title = {{Making Way for Bicycle Infrastructure}}, institution = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, year = {2021}, month = may, url = {https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/making-way-for-bicycle-infrastructure}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }