What happens when you turn parking spaces into bike lanes?

Some retailers fear the loss of street parking, but recent studies show that fear is misplaced.

For example, a study, from UC-Davis scholars Natalie Popovich and Susan Handy, analyzed nearly 1,900 shopping trips to downtown Davis made after the opening of a new Target store. Cyclists not only took slightly more trips than drivers did, but spent more per trip—leading to a monthly total spending of roughly $250 for cyclists to $180 for drivers. The results were especially impressive considering they only reflect spending on the type of goods available at Target, not food or services. Even without accounting for spending on food, drink, and services, study results indicate that the customers who travel by bike to shop downtown spend as much money as their car-driving counterparts or more each month.

In another study, a University of Washington researcher collected retail sales data before and after a bike lane absorbed 12 street-parking spaces on 65th Street in Seattle. The sales index on 65th Street skyrocketed after the lane was put in place, especially compared with the index in the rest of the neighborhood. 

We would agree that creating safe bike lanes and paths throughout the White Flint area will increase the economic, physical, and mental health of Montgomery County.