Green Lane Project National Leader’s Bike Infrastructure Showcased by Presidential Inauguration

Jan. 21, 2013 - PRLog -- Boulder, Colo. (Jan. 21, 2013)— The Green Lane Project (http://www.greenlaneproject.org) is excited to announce that Washington D.C., one of their six (http://greenlaneproject.org/green-lanes-map/) national leaders, will have a major artery of their next-generation bike infrastructure showcased in the wake of President Barack Obama’s second inauguration today. The Pennsylvania Avenue cycletrack, a lane that keeps bicyclists comfortably separated from motor traffic, will be on display to those who congregate on and around the National Mall during the president’s motorcade procession and inaugural speech. The lane was built since the President Obama’s first inauguration in 2009.

As District Department of Transportation (DDOT) Director Terry Bellamy told the Washington Post, “We are very proud that the nation will get to see why D.C. is now regarded as one of the most bicycle-friendly cities in the nation.”

The cycletrack is a result of DDOT (http://ddot.dc.gov), with the support of groups such as the Washington Area Bicyclist Association (http://waba.org) (WABA), and the city’s continued commitment to making D.C. a better place for biking. The bike lane on Pennsylvania Avenue is an early example of separated facilities in American cities and has led D.C. to become a part of the Green Lane Project, an initiative to increase the number of such facilities throughout the U.S.

“We are thrilled that D.C.’s state-of-the-art facility is being highlighted at this national and historic event,” said Martha Roskowski, director of the Green Lane Project.  “Pennsylvania Avenue is model cycletrack. Its long-term, measurable success in safely accommodating bicyclists and reducing congestion in D.C. has inspired the strategic engineering of more bicycling facilities across the country, in an effort to connect complete streets within major urban areas.”

After its construction in 2010, DDOT found that bicycling volumes on Pennsylvania Avenue increased by over 200 percent and that nearly three in four residents in the area indicated that they supported the center bike lanes, believing them to be a valuable asset.

For information about bicycling to the Inauguration, visit goDCgo.com/inauguration (http://www.goDCgo.com/inauguration).

To learn more about the Green Lane Project’s involvement in facilitating green lane infrastructure in D.C. and other U.S. cities, visit greenlaneproject.org.

To learn more about DDOT, visit ddot.dc.gov.

About Green Lane Project: The Green Lane Project is working with six U.S. cities poised to be national leaders in installing green lanes. Green lanes are dedicated, inviting spaces for people on bikes, protected from cars and separated from sidewalks. For more information, visit greenlaneproject.org (http://www.greenlaneproject.org). Stay tuned to the progress of national leader cities on the Green Lane Project blog (http://www.greenlaneproject.org/blog).