Developers capitalize on the rise of cycling's popularity | Business Journal

If there really is a War on Cars, more and more employers and commercial developers are siding with the bicyclists.

That’s clear when you look over building plans and hear developers talk about their projects.

Amazon.com is building cycle tracks at its three-block office complex under construction in downtown Seattle. Plans show traffic signals for cyclists, complete with “leaning rails” on which riders can rest their feet while waiting for the green light. Once these cyclists arrive, they’ll pedal to indoor bike parking.

Another developer, Harbor Urban, is building an entire apartment building for bicyclists. Located in Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood, the project is called Velo, which means bicycle in French. The 171-unit project’s doors, lobby floors and elevator walls are designed to be bike-friendly, and the apartments will have bike-storage “niches.”

Even Kemper Development, which touts the 10,000 free vehicle parking spaces at its Bellevue Collection, is building a bike commuter “lounge” in the 4-million-square-foot retail, office, residential and hotel complex.

[Keep reading at Business Journal]