Bike lanes are popping up all over North America to attract young people to cities: report

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VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – They’ve been divisive from day one in Vancouver. But love em’ or hate em’, bike lanes are becoming a fact of life all over North America.

And it seems there is a compelling reason, aside from the environmental and health benefits. A new report out of the US finds the lanes are part of an effort to attract more young people to our cities.

The report from Bloomberg says cities like New York, Memphis and Chicago are adding separated bike lanes, and politicians claim young people are looking for options in how they move around.

It’s a similar-sounding story to our region, with bike lanes in Vancouver and one recently being installed in Surrey.

UBC transportation expert Robin Lindsey says he’s not aware of any research that finds the lanes attract young people to Metro Vancouver, but his students have looked into cycling.

“[They’ve studied] bicycles and the bicycle-sharing program, which unfortunately is on hold in Vancouver. And then, looking at the Point Grey road closure.”

Lindsey adds an interest from young people isn’t surprising, given a higher level of environmental awareness than past generations.

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