According to a study of the economic impact of traffic calming measures in San Francisco, “Sixty-six percent of the merchants believe that the bike lanes have had a generally positive impact on their business.”
The 2003 study, by Emily Drennan of San Francisco State University, notes:
“Small business owners can be the most vocal opponents of traffic calming projects because they fear losing revenue due to changes to the streetscape.
Some research suggests that traffic calming projects can actually improve business conditions and raise revenues for small businesses (Lockwood, 1998).
The Valencia Street Bike Lane Merchant Survey uses business interviews to gather qualitative information about the effects of the Valencia Street bicycle lanes on small businesses in the area.”
Over 65% of the merchants surveyed supported more traffic calming measures.
How about in West Windsor? Will merchants support traffic calming on our Main Street, Rt 571?
Tags: bike lanes, Complete Streets, economic impact of bike lanes, liveable communities, merchant, San Francisco, small business, traffic calming
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