"Protected bike lanes are now official federal policy."

Photo credit: People for Bikes

Recognize these "star-spangled" ideas?

They're integral to Jeff Speck's Downtown Street Network Proposal, which currently is consigned to oblivion or 2017, whichever comes (or mayor goes) first.

The feds jump on board: Protected bike lanes are now official federal policy, by Michael Andersen (People for Bikes)

Protected bike lanes are now officially star-spangled.

Eight years after New York City created a Netherlands-inspired bikeway on 9th Avenue by putting it on the curb side of a car parking lane, the physically separated designs once perceived as outlandish haven’t just become increasingly common from coast to coast—they’ve been detailed in a new design guide by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).

The FHWA guidance released Tuesday is the result of two years of research into numerous modern protected bike lanes around the country, in consultation with a team of national experts.

“Separated bike lanes have great potential to fill needs in creating low-stress bicycle networks,” the FHWA document says, citing last year’s study by the National Institute for Transportation and Communities. “Many potential cyclists (including children and the elderly) may avoid on-street cycling if no physical separation from vehicular traffic is provided.”