CHICAGO TOASTS A SHIFT IN THE REAL ESTATE THAT SHAPES CITIES MOST: STREETS @peopleforbikes

A buffered bike lane in Chicago, Illinois.

Compared to 100 miles of almost anything else a city can build, 100 miles of buffered and protected bike lanes costs practically nothing to install.

But when you look beyond the budget line items and start to consider what it means to transfer access to part of a city's most valuable asset — physical space — a few stripes painted onto previously car-dominated streets can represent a massive investment.

When it's wide and comfortable, a buffered bike lane is a big improvement over a conventional bike lane that also opens the door to further change in the future: adding the physical protection, such as curbs or posts or parked cars, that is required to make biking relevant to a much larger share of the population.

[Keep reading at People for Bikes]