title: Effect of bike lane infrastructure improvements on ridership in one New Orleans neighborhood.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Incorporating cycling into daily life is one way to increase physical activity.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study examined the impact of building new bike lanes in New Orleans to determine whether more people were cycling on the street and with the flow of traffic after bike lanes were built.
  
  
  METHODS
  Through direct observation of one intervention and two adjacent streets, observers counted cyclists riding on the street and sidewalk, with and against traffic, before and after installation of the lanes. Data were tallied separately for adults, children, males, females, and by race for each location.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was an increase in cyclists on all three streets after the installation of the bike lanes, with the largest increase on the street with the new lane. Additionally, the proportion of riders cycling with traffic increased after the lanes were striped.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Bike lanes can have a positive impact in creating a healthy neighborhood.
authors: Prevention Research Center, Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, 1440 Canal Street, TW-19, Suite 2301, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA. kparker1@tulane.edu
authors: Kathryn M
authors: KM
authors: Parker
authors: Janet
authors: J
authors: Rice
authors: Jeanette
authors: J
authors: Gustat
authors: Jennifer
authors: J
authors: Ruley
authors: Aubrey
authors: A
authors: Spriggs
authors: Carolyn
authors: C
authors: Johnson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001642:Bicycling / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D044383:Black People / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D004779:Environment Design; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity; D055820:New Orleans; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology; D001741:Black or African American