Does bicycle friendliness contribute to economic growth?

[metro]

I'm really curious as to what the city's official stance is on bike lanes, and becoming more biker friendly in the urban setting (again, not talking about the bike trails at the lakes folks, but real bike lanes on city streets). The reason I say this as most of us know, the city hired Richard Florida a few years back to consult for the city after his rise of popularity with his book "The Creative Class". The mayor and city leaders really seemed to like his ideas, but haven't really ever said anything on the bike issue.


Does Bicycle Friendliness Contribute to a City’s Economic Development
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 11.14.07



Richard Florida quotes Wendy Waters in "All About Cities" noting that City planners and economic development specialists are spending increasing amounts of time trying to make their cities attractive to younger, educated workers and the companies that wish to hire them. She quotes Dave Atkins: "The bike component is a key feature for any city to achieve the kind of living balance that so many of us want these days. We don’t want to commute by car in from the suburbs. We want to be a part of where we live and work. The bike can really help that feeling of connectedness."

She concludes that " Being able to travel by bicycle somehow makes a giant metro area seem more friendly and relaxed. And, I agree could be a factor in attracting and retaining talented people".

Richard Florida thinks it is a "class" thing."To some, cyclists on skinny tired road bikes decked out in lycra are "rich folks." More than once people have by yelled nasty things at me, including questioning my sexual orientation. All in all, I take it as class anger and frustration, especially in places where class divides are stark." ::Richard Florida

Richard Florida and The Creative Class Exchange: Bicycling and Cities

[Pete]

Apart from the appearance, OK's obesity problem is well documented.

Cities should be doing all they can to encourage people to walk, ride bikes and just be active.

It also gets people out of their homes and cars and provides more opportunities for socializing and building communities.

[Misty]

A couple of days ago on Shartel in front of a school there were about 6 cars parked in the bike lane....right in front of the "no parking anytime" signs. I swear......

[FritterGirl]

While in San Francisco recently, my husband and I were awed by the sight of several hundred (if not over 1,000) bikers riding en masse one Friday evening through the streets of The Haight. It was Halloween weekend, so most of the bikers were in costume, which made the spectacle even more fun to watch. I actually managed to snap a photo of one particular gentleman dressed, well, er, undressed, as "Naked Santa Claus." (Don't want to know what kind of rash he had the next day).

The group was part of a bike coalition there called Critical Mass. They have monthly protest rides in SF (and other cities apparently) to increase awareness of their cause.

There is another group there called San Francisco Bike Coalition, which boasts 7,000 members.

Both groups purport to advocate for bikers' rights within the city.

Of course, politically and culturally, SF couldn't be farther from OKC. I'd like to see us build more infrastructure here for our bikers, and as someone earlier noted, not just on the trails (although they are a good start). Our culture is so car-dependent, however, that this change will only take place if there are more organized means of building awareness for our bikers.

The "bike to work day" hosted earlier this year was a good first step.

For suburbanites like myself, however, biking at this point is not much of an option. If I were like my husband, working only 6 miles from home with no highway to travel on my commute, I might think very differently about it.

Of course, it helps to have a bike....

[Pete]

Over the last year, I've become a serious cyclist and have grown to love the bike.

I ride mainly for training in triathlons but now that I'm proficient, have nice equipment and know the in and outs of navigating around streets, I enjoy it in general.

In fact, next time I'm in OKC I'm going to rent a bike and take the better part of a day touring the central city. I always do this in a car but feel I'm missing out on a lot. And last time I really wanted to cover the new river trails.

Riding your bike is great, low-impact exercise and generally a lot of fun. I hope OKC continues to put more emphasis in this area.

I would think lots of people that will be moving into Midtown or the fringe areas of downtown would really enjoy busting out their bike for quick trips around the area. Many of the best spots are still a little far apart to walk.

[metro]

Bike lanes don't have to be boring. See what Portland is doing as of lately. They are one of the nations most bicycle friendly cities and they've only spent around $25 million on infrastructure but have seen more than that return on their investment and over 125 bicycle related businesses and industries spur because of it. Recently they did this project allowing artists to put a personal touch on their bike lanes:

Bike lane stencils: Portland OR - a photoset on Flickr

[The Old Downtown Guy]

Personally, I don't care for the few "bike exclusive" lanes we have, though I do use them in the few spots where they are. There are just so few of them that they are pretty useless . . . just a few blocks here and there in some of the inner-city neighborhoods.

I just ride recreationally and don't comute by bike so I never ride during rush hour, and don't usually feel crowded or threatened by having lots of cars around. I just ride in the traffic lanes on the street, as I am entitled to do, and obey the same rules regarding traffic lights and making turns as automobile drivers. I do try to stay near the curb side of the lane to allow cars to pass easily, unless I need to be in the left lane to make a left turn. I really don't have any problems sharing the streets inside the bubble (Oklahoma River to NW 50th NS and Lincoln to May Avenue EW) during off peak times, but I would feel more comfortable if there were more bike riders around so that drivers would become more accustomed to sharing the roads with people using alternative transportation.

However, I do think that streets like Classen Blvd. and Lincoln Blvd. would be good ones for bike lanes though. The're wide enough to have two auto lanes and still have sufficient room for a bike lane. Streets like 23rd Street would be impossible to have a bike lane but there are some stretches of 36th and 10th that could handle a dedicated bike lane.

There are more and more people out there on bicycles and with the Oklahoma River trails attracting increased numbers or riders, OKC needs to be thinking more about how people can safely bicycle from one place to another in the center of the city for sure.