Look around you. What do you see more, cars or bikes? More cars and buses, right? Those vehicles were once the bastions of freedom and convenience but things have changed. Using cars or buses, you often have to shell out a lot of money, remain stuck in traffic, and not to mention bear the thought of destroying the planet. 

Protected bike lanes will definitely save you from these hassles, but there are other benefits as well. 

In this article, you’ll know why we need more protected bike lanes. More protected bike lanes equal more benefits, individually and also as a community.

We Need Bike Lanes for These Reasons

Bike lanes won’t just promote road safety ad controlled traffic flow but will also promote healthy habits, drive the economy, and contribute to cutting down on pollution. How will just some protected bike lanes do so many things? Let’s find out.

Better Flow of Traffic

Imagine how it would be if there were no bike lanes on the roads. That’s right, there would have been bikes randomly zooming around everywhere. And in busy cities like Boston, New York, Los Angeles, and California, bikes in the middle of the road will cause more congestion.

Having more protected bike lanes will take off bikes from the roads, thereby leaving cars and buses to move uninterruptedly among other benefits.  For instance, it won’t just reduce traffic congestion but will also reduce the chances of accidents during rush hours.

Since these lanes are dedicated to cyclists only, there will be lesser chances of injuries by other means. Besides, if you have an electric pedal bike, riding on the protected bike lane will help you commute at your speed safely. Other vehicles will also maintain a distance from the boundary.

Added Safety for Pedestrians

A protected bike lane doesn’t just reduce traffic congestion and the chances of vehicle accidents. It also reduces the chances of pedestrian injuries. These lanes have bars on both sides separating them from the sidewalks as well, preventing bikers from cycling and interfering the pedestrians.

Without bike lanes with proper barriers, bikers may be tempted to encroach upon the sidewalks, which creates confusion for pedestrians. This increases the risks of injuries from a bike colliding with a pedestrian. Separating lanes for the two promotes more safety, allowing people to walk freely.

More Space on the Road

Technically, adding protected bike lanes reduces a lane or two from the roads. However, it also means the infrastructure will allow more space on the roads and sidewalks, and vehicles can be safer! Sounds contradictory?

Without a bike lane, let alone a protected one, vehicles often have a blind turning spot. Bike lanes give other drivers a wider view while changing lanes or making turns. The bars on these lanes can also act as a guide for drivers on the safe turning angle. 

There are other benefits too. Because there will be reduced space on the road, cars won’t try to switch lanes abruptly. This will cut down on a lot of careless mishaps. Buses can also pick up passengers safely from bus stops and may even wait longer than usual if passengers need to cross the lanes. 

Promotes Healthy Lifestyle

Riding from one place to another has a lot of benefits, one of which is a positive impact on your health. Having protected bike lanes can encourage people to ride bikes more. What other benefits can it have?

For people who can barely make time to take care of their health or work out, cycling relatively shorter distances to get from one place to another can be a good workout. Doing this every day will ensure that your cholesterol levels are in check and your muscles are strengthened.

Cycling burns calories, thus reducing the risks of heart disease, high blood pressure, and strokes. It’ll also prevent you from getting diabetes by keeping obesity and stress at bay. And if you suffer from issues like depression and anxiety, then cycling can be a great way to divert your energy.

Taking this reason into account, many local governments are promoting cycling for their residents. For instance, take the case of the city of San Diego. They have invested quite a lot in constructing protected bike lanes in the fourth and fifth avenues among other locations. 

Lesser Pollution and Sustainability

Except for cycles, every vehicle you drive contributes more to air, water, noise, and other forms of environmental pollution. By biking your way from one place to another, or even just for fun, you can contribute to reducing greenhouse emissions by a lot. 

Having more protected bike lanes will encourage more people to switch to bikes, as they’ll be able to move much more safely. If more people switch to bikes, there’ll be lesser consumption of fuel, which means lesser carbon emissions to the atmosphere. How does that impact the environment?

Introducing more protected bike lanes will promote the reduction of carbon footprint more effectively as a community. You’ll be combatting issues like melting polar regions, increasing water levels, and frequent heat waves. You’ll also be conserving more of the finite natural resources.

Positive Economical Impact

Since more protected bike lanes will encourage more people to become bikers, there will be more parking areas for bikes, especially in front of the local stores. This is bound to increase the sales in these small businesses significantly, thus driving the economy more. But how exactly?

A business has a lot of sectors that drive sales. The more space there is for bikers to park their bikes outside the stores, the more customers these stores will get. This will increase the demand for their products, driving the supply chain in these stores. 

There’s a supply chain for everything we consume, whether it’s food, fuel, or other supplies. An increased supply chain will open more doors for importing and exporting more goods, thus driving the economy, even during the pandemic. 

Cutting Down Costs

Cycling can help you cut down your healthcare costs a lot by keeping your fitness in check. But it’s not just healthcare costs that you’ll save.

Since establishing more protected bike lanes will potentially encourage more people to switch to biking, you can save up a lot in fuel consumption and vehicle maintenance. You only need to spend enough to maintain your bikes and biking gear. 

Conclusion

The impact of building a comprehensive and convenient bike infrastructure is multifold, which is why there should be more protected bike lanes. From the roads to your health to the environment, everything and everyone will benefit from the positive impacts of these dedicated lanes. 

So if you had been thinking of switching from card to commuting with bikes, then now is a better time than almost any to start on that journey. It will be the best way to take care of your health and contribute to a greater cause at the same time.