Green Lane Videos
Green Lane Introductory Video
Cities across the country are remaking streets to help people move more quickly, more safely, and with less energy use while improving the quality of life in commercial districts and neighborhoods alike. One key strategy is making room for bicycles, as the density and compact character of cities makes riding a bike an incredibly effective transportation option. Leading cities are combining innovative new designs and traditional approaches to transform their streets.
From the Netherlands to America
More than ever, American cities are casting their gazes across the Atlantic for fresh ideas and inspiration when it comes to making bicycling safer, more convenient, and more practical for everyday short trips. No place in the world has more experience with bicycle transportation than the Netherlands, where more than a quarter of every trip made is on two wheels. But bicycling isn't ingrained in Dutch DNA. The Netherlands became a global leader because of very deliberate choices made by city leaders and traffic planners that made bicycle transportation a real priority, backed up with supportive policy, funding and state-of-the-art design. A delegation of city officials from Chicago, Washington D.C. and Miami visited Holland in search of great ideas to bring home.
Self-Reliance Grows in the Utrecht Traffic Garden
In the Dutch city of Utrecht, kids start learning about traffic safety long before they prepare for a driver's license. And not just "look both ways before you cross the street." The school curriculum includes regular field trips to the local "traffic garden."
Groningen’s Green Phase for Cyclists
Groningen is the largest city in the northern province of the Netherlands. With 57 percent of all trips in the city made by bike, it's considered a leader and innovator when it comes to bicycle policy and design — even by Dutch standards. At this intersection on the main ring road around Groningen, bicyclists in all directions get a green light at the same time. When the bike signal says go, cyclists at any point in the junction can travel in any direction, including diagonally.
Minneapolis' Midtown Greenway: Good for Bikes, Good for Business
In the increasingly heated competition to see who deserves the title of America's most bike-friendly city, Minneapolis has plenty going for it. By far the best-known facility is the 5.7 mile long Midtown Greenway, which connects riders to destinations through the heart of Minneapolis, from east to west.
A Bicycling Success Story: the Minneapolis Sabo Bridge
In 2007, in order to route cyclists away from a challenging 7-lane crossing on busy Hiawatha Avenue, Minneapolis built the Martin Olav Sabo Bridge.
Nice Ride MN: Minnesota’s Bike Share Expands
Nice Ride MN is a hit. The Twin Cities bike share recently celebrated its one year anniversary in June. And in July they started an expansion by adding more stations and bicycles to the network.
Riding in the Netherlands
During a period of unprecedented momentum for urban bicycling in the U.S., the Bikes Belong Foundation led a fact-finding trip to the Netherlands to bring home European transportation best practices. Eleven city leaders from the San Francisco Bay Area spent a week in four Dutch cities between August 29 and September 4, 2010. Here are some of the stories they brought home.
