If your community is interested in lowering environmental pollution and reducing traffic congestion, then you should consider improving public health and quality of life by improving bicycle infrastructure and encouraging more bicycle trips. Without proper infrastructure, many potential bicyclists may feel unsafe –this discourages bicycling altogether or makes a trip more stressful.
 

Even if a significant number of trips are taken by bicycle in your neighborhood, there may be potential to generate additional bicycle trips. If housing is located within several miles of job centers, shopping, or other destinations, a lack of appropriate infrastructure may be the only thing keeping bicyclists off the road! The two studies below show that improving bicycle infrastructure can have a positive impact on bicyclists' safety and experience on the road.
 

Let them know the bike lane is there! As an experiment, from 1997 to 1999 the City of Portland, Oregon marked ten conflict areas with paint, applied blue thermoplastic, and installed “Yield to Bikes” signs. All of the sites had a high level of bicyclist and motorist interaction, and a history of complaints and conflicts. After the design changes, a number of motorists were noticed yielding to bicyclists and slowing or stopping before entering the blue pavement area. Bicyclists, too, were more likely to follow the colored path. An overwhelming majority of bicyclists and motorists surveyed felt that the colored markings enhanced safety and gave bicyclists an increased sense of comfort. To read more about this study, read the report Evaluation of the Blue Bicycle Lane Treatment used in Bicycle-Motor Vehicle Conflicts Areas in Portland, Oregon by the University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center.
 

Better infrastructure means they’ll ride again tomorrow, too! In a 1996 study conducted by Sprinkle Consulting Engineers Inc. with nearly one hundred and fifty bicyclists representing a cross-section of age, gender, experience level, geographic origin, it was found that providing a designated bicycle lane and marking it by stripping was more welcome than simply providing a wider shoulder. This study also showed that better pavement condition makes the bicyclists feel better about their ride. Details of the study can be found in a paper titled “Real-time human perceptions: toward a bicycle level of service”.