The Prevalence of High-Stress Paint-Only Bike Lanes in 442 U.S. Cities

Abstract

Background The most common on-road bicycling facility in the U.S. is the paint-only bike lane, yet these lanes may not necessarily provide an inviting bicycling environment for all ages and abilities of potential bicyclists. Many such lanes in the U.S. are on roads with a level of traffic stress exceeding what most potential bicyclists would tolerate, but the prevalence of high traffic stress on paint-only bike lanes in the U.S. has not been described. Objective We measure the prevalence of high traffic stress on paint-only bike lanes in U.S. cities and assess variation in this measure by socioeconomic and geographical characteristics. Methods We gathered data on the level of bicycling stress created by PeopleForBikes from 442 U.S. cities. Using OpenStreetMap data, PeopleForBikes classifies how stressful a roadway would be for most adults to ride on following established criteria. We defined the high-stress prevalence on paint-only bike lanes as the proportion of the total lane-length of paint-only bike lanes classified as high stress. We performed robustness checks to address potential limitations of OpenStreetMap. Results After adjusting for potential overestimation due to missing data, 61% of the length of paint-only bike lanes were high stress. This prevalence was highest in the South (65%) and West (64%) and lowest in the Northeast (25%). Conclusions On most paint-only bike lanes in the U.S., most adults would not feel comfortable bicycling. Reducing this stress prevalence could not only improve the appeal and safety of bicycling but could also improve the safety and climate-resilience of the broader transportation system.