Tuesday, March 05, 2013

Portland Businesses Flock to Bike Streets

"All the bike traffic is part of the reason I chose the place, and I am definitely paying a premium for this spot," said Shana Lane-Block, whose 30-seat farm-to-table cafe and bakery Compote opened in 2011 on Portland's Clinton Street bike boulevard. "In the nice weather, it is astonishing to me how many bicycles go by."

1 comment:

The Amateur Transporter said...

Great to see more evidence of businesses thriving around bike streets.

It is not just the quantity of bikes going past her shop. Car and bike travel are different in their likelihood to stop and enter a store.

First, drivers in the cocoon of their car cabin are less likely to "see" the store. Cyclists and pedestrians, going at their slower pace without being inside a cocoon, stop more often to peer in. A quick stop on a commercial street means no elaborate locking procedure either, just give me a tree or rack to lean on.

Second, pedestrians and cyclists don't travel as far for stuff. They are much more aware of the businesses in their immediate neighborhoods.