Bicycle Boulevard: Emeryville, CA
When the small city of Emeryville, CA (population 9,727) began to transition from industrial to urban mixed-use in the late-1990s, the demand for sustainable transportation alternatives began to emerge. The city undertook a process of identifying key users of bike lanes, and the routes necessary to serve them, before building a "Bicycle Boulevard" to connect two major streets.
When determining what type of bicycle infrastructure to create, Emeryville first sought to understand the needs of the people who would use it. Once it was determined that the majority of users would be adults who did not want to have to ride very fast in traffic, the city decided to create a "Bicycle Boulevard." A Bicycle Boulevard is "a residential street with a history of low-volume and low-speed motorized traffic that has been optimized for through-travel by cyclists." Emeryville constructed a 1.3 mile Bicycle Boulevard, at a cost of $30,000. This Boulevard is intended for use by slower cyclists, whereas fast-moving cars and bicycles can opt to use other streets.
This case study is a good model for smaller cities because it gives an alternative to traditional bike lanes, and shows how the city tailored the bike lane concept to meet its needs. However, the case study does not include enough discussion of why the city dismissed other options, and what problems it was having with existing bike lanes.
Because it is the most energy-efficient form of travel, bicycling is a highly sustainable transportation method for people traveling within cities. Bicycling reduces the amount of gasoline used, the amount of emissions released into the atmosphere and the amount of air pollution in cities. Additionally, bicycle lanes reduce congestion, sprawl and deadly accidents. By installing bike lanes, cities promote "Smart Growth," which better allocates resources around urban centers.
