COVID-19 made cities more bike-friendly – here’s how to keep them that way

After COVID-19 lockdowns, roads emptied and transit agencies either completely stopped service or drastically reduced service, allowing pedestrians and cyclists to take back streets and sidewalks. As cities reopen, we have the opportunity to reset our transportation system and take multi-mobility into account.

Moving forward, there is no guarantee that any vaccine will prevent future pandemics or other global disasters. Cities will need to create scalable ways to accommodate different types of transportation while maintaining appropriate safety norms. The ‘Slow Streets’ movement that gained steam during COVID-19 can provide key lessons learned to help cities build multi-modality and agility into new solutions.

Understanding the ‘Slow Streets’ movement

The ‘Slow Streets’ movement (sometimes dubbed “Safe Streets or “Healthy Streets”) was designed as a response to COVID-19 public health guidance that encouraged social distancing. Closed roads and low-traffic streets helped prevent overcrowding of public parks, trails, and sidewalks and allow people to explore their communities as never before through walking, jogging, biking and even wheelchair rolling. According to a crowdsourced database initiated by a transportation planner at the University of North Carolina, over 291 cities, regions and nations have created safer, people-friendly streets initiatives.

The Slow Streets movement takes advantage of one key truth: Most trips are short and close to home. According to data collected before the pandemic, 60% of journeys made in France and 46% of vehicle trips in the US are less than 3 miles (5 kilometres). In England, around 60% of 1-2 mile trips are made by car. This data suggests that while some people may still require motorized transport options, many people can walk or bike around their communities.

This movement has helped reshape cities across the US. The City of Oakland, California closed 74 miles of its streets this March – 10% of the city’s entire street grid - to through-traffic. These streets remained open to local vehicles in search of a parking space but were prioritized for Oakland residents travelling by foot or bicycle. “Oakland Slow Streets,” as they became known, became the first of their kind in the country. The program’s success helped inspire dozens of American cities to follow Oakland’s lead, establishing “Slow Streets” of their own.

And while cities across Europe have been encouraging cycle-friendly streets for years, COVID-19 accelerated the repurposing of roadways to bike lanes in cities such as Paris and even Rome. European countries have also embraced tactical urbanism, an action based approach using short-term, low-cost, and scalable interventions, to promote alternatives to public transportation and private cars.

Though the data to support the uptake of the slow streets is limited, many cities are noticing noticeable upticks in the visual amount of cyclists. Corresponding bike sales indicate a higher interest in outdoor activity and use of public space. For instance, the NPD Group reported that sales of adult leisure bikes were up 121% during the pandemic.

The tactical deployment of infrastructure by the public sector has resulted in more people biking and walking than ever before According to a street study conducted by Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition, during shelter-in-place, “88% drive less, 61% walk more, 42% bike more.”

Building on “Safe Streets” momentum
Countries looking to continue these gains after COVID-19 lockdowns lift have taken a few different approaches. Some countries are using subsidies to encourage bike ownership. France will leverage $66 million USD program to provide a $55 USD subsidy towards the refurbishment of any bicycles available. The government plans to refurbish 1 million bikes by the end of the year. Italy has introduced a "mobility bonus" of 500 euros for the purchase of bikes, electric scooters or to be used as credit for sharing services such as Helbiz.

Countries are continuing to encourage building additional bike lanes. Municipalities across France have massively invested in over 1,000 km (620 miles) of temporary bike lanes since the beginning of pandemic restrictions in early Spring. The French government has also just announced it will provide funding to local governments to transform the temporary infrastructure into permanent safe bike lanes. Rome’s city council has approved the construction of 150 kilometers (95 miles) of temporary and permanent cycle routes on the city’s main streets and along other key routes to support social distancing as well as general health and well-being.

5 key recommendations for governments to maintain agility:
Given the movement’s popularity, key factors can be identified that could speed the adoption of agility and multi-modality in other aspects of our transportation system. Below is a list of recommendations on how to integrate these characteristics into the wider transportation system:

Though the pandemic has been challenging, we’ve proven we can adapt and our public space can follow suit. Our world and how we conduct ourselves will inevitably differ from our pre-pandemic habits. As our new habits have agility built into them, our street infrastructure could one day be as agile as we are.

Authors contributing to this piece include: Benjamin Kaufman, Trail Development Manager at Rails-to-Trails Conservancy; Matteo Tanzilli, Government and External Affairs, Helbiz.