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New Orleans has added more than 37 miles of bike lanes on 16 streets since 2008 and a recent Tulane study shows that's led to a cycling surge in the city.
Study authors conclude that bike lanes promote physical activity among all ages and are a cost-effective tool for planners. And local drivers here in the CBD tell me they're not having problems with all the additional bicyclists. "I love it, I love seeing them and they're very careful and I think they should be on the road," says one woman in the CBD. Other drivers say they're happy people are getting some exercise or that they're trying to be green and improve the environment by not driving a vehicle.
But the cyclists have issues with those behind the wheel, as this man points out, "The drivers don't respect the bikes. The bicycles don't have much room to drive here in the city. In other places, like New York, you have more lanes than you have here in New Orleans."
The study also found that the proportion of riders cycling in the correct direction - with traffic - has also increased.
Kathryn Parker, assistant director of Tulane's Prevention Research Center, led the study that shows "The overall number of cyclists grew by 110 percent on South Carrollton Avenue and the side streets. But the greatest increase happened on the street with new bike lanes - a 225 percent increase from 79 daily riders a year ago to 257 daily riders."
Parker says, "The total cost of the South Carrollton Avenue bike lanes was less than 1 percent of the total road resurfacing project."
Click here to get more on the study from Tulane.
