Physically protected bike lanes are low-cost and fast to design and build. Your local government has more than enough funding and staff to build the protected bike lane you want, but to get that bike lane, you need to get your local Mayor (or other decision makers) to agree to fund its construction and direct people to build it.
You get your Mayor to do that by making it the best option they have – especially compared to them doing nothing. “Best option” can also means most rewarding and/or least politically painful. In other words, if it’s easier for them to say “no” to you than it is to say “yes” to you, then they will say “no”
To get your bike lane, you need to build & use political power to tip the scales so that they say “yes.” If you don’t have enough power to get what you want now, use the power you do have to build more power! For more guidance on how you can get a bike lane, book a training session and check out these quick pieces for further reading:
“How to overcome the opposition and win a bike lane” training recap
“Opening up the books on the hard costs of a local transportation campaign”
“A quick guide to communicate more compellingly as an advocate”
“Fighting like an American for Dutch-inspired transportation changes”
“Talk to strangers in order to win your transit or bike goals”
“You are on the offensive; let’s look at how to strategically choose a fight”
“The dishes always need doing– a lesson on starting your own local pro-bike/bus campaign”
“Partying is an essential step of advocating for bikes & transit”
“The secret weapon of transit, bike and anti-traffic violence advocates”
“A step-by-step guide to getting your permit to do bike, transit or safe street activism”
“Existentialism and math around your potential political impact”
“Using strategic audacity to overcome inertia and fear on transportation issues”
“How to complain more effectively to get the bike and transit improvements you want!”
“Navigating politically difficult conversations as a bike or transit activist”