A group promoting crosstown bikeways in San Francisco (see video at left) and a community bicycle center in Portland are among seven recipients of Bikes Belong grants this fall.
Other urban bicycle projects on the grant list include the linking of two bike lanes in Atlanta, and bikeway extensions in Memphis and Grand Rapids. Grants also are going to research studies on the economic impact of bike use in Minneapolis and Greenville, South Carolina.
In all, the bike industry association issued $62,500 to the projects. Together they show the broad scope of bicycle programs that are active in the nation's urban areas.
Bikes Belong is funded by bicycle retailers and suppliers. Its mission is to get more people to ride bicycles. An effective way to do that is create safe bicycling routes, such as the five projects below.
Trails and bikeways
The $10,000 grant to the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition Education Fund will go toward Connecting the City, the outreach effort to encourage the planning and design of three cross-town priority bikeways. The three routes are the Bay to Beach Bikeway, North-South Bikeway and the Bay Trail Bikeway. See the video above for more about the projects.
The Community Cycling Center in Portland will use its $10,000 grant toward an age-appropriate bike skills park and community bike hub for children and families. The Center serves the New Columbia neighborhood with a bike shop and hands-on and volunteer bicycle projects.
The $10,000 grant to the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition will help pay for connecting two segments of existing bike lanes along a well-used biking corridor.
The Livable Memphis coalition plans to use the $10,000 grant to help pay for a two-mile separated bikeway to connect Overton Park with the Shelby Farms Park Greenway. This would link two parks, a low-income neighborhood, multiple businesses and a community center.
Grand Rapids, Michigan, will use its $5,000 grant to help fund engineering and design costs for a 3.5-mile bikeway on the west side of downtown. With support from the Greater Grand Rapids Bicycle Coalition, CycleSafe, and Freewheeler Bike Shop, the project will connect two major trails.
Research
Bikes Belong also is helping to fund a couple of studies that will measure the impact of trails and other bicycle infrastructure.
A $10,000 grant to Upstate Foreverwill help researchers in Greenville measure the impact of the Swamp Rabbit Trail on the communities that surround it. The nonprofit will use the study to promote greenway and trail development in the area.
Meanwhile, University of Minnesota researchers will use a $7,500 grant to determine the economic impact of Nice Ride bike-share stations on local businesses. They'll survey and interview businesses about changes in sales and customer visits since the system started in 2010.
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