Column: Pothole Prairire

One day, after church, a nice gentlemen approached me with some feedback, which I always appreciate. He said this newspaper should not write editorials in favor of the Front Street bike lane because it could cause economic problems for businesses along the route. His comments were prompted by a recent editorial.

I was glad to listen to him, but I had to note that the recent editorial concerning the Front Street bike lane wasn’t for or against. It was telling the candidates for the Commissioner District 5 seat that they should’ve answered a question about bike transportation at a debate with county-related issues, such as the Blazing Star Trail, not a city issue. The county board seat they seek doesn’t deal with the Front Street bike lane. (By the way, the Tribune Editorial Board has had a neutral stance on the Front Street bike lane, which was approved by the Albert Lea City Council in November.)

Still, I am in the business of adult education and did some research on bicycles and economics. I imagine that some folks see bike lanes merely as taking up space. I ride bikes, and in my experience, bike lanes and trails would have economic benefits, not drawbacks. So I did some research.

It turns out, I was right.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation Division of Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation commissioned a study looking at the return on state and local investments in bike facilities. The agency selected the northern part of the Outer Banks area, where an estimated $6.7 million of public funds built trails and lanes.

The study found the bicycling activity in the northern Outer Banks provides an estimated $60 million annually in economic benefits. It found that getting around via bicycle was a key factor for tourists when deciding to visit the area. Moreover, it found — like in so many places across the country — that the more bikes there were, the safer the transportation system became for all users. The bicycle trails and lanes were a main reason why many tourists visited the northern Outer Banks over other coastal areas.

Imagine how important the Front Street bike lane could become for connecting the Blazing Star Trail with a possible bike trail on rail line proposed for abandonment between Albert Lea and Hartland. Think of the money those bike riders will want to spend at businesses on the route, such as the Kwik Trip at Front Street and First Avenue.

I found study after study that stated lanes and trails provided economic benefits, including increases in home values for being near lanes and trails: Indianapolis, Portland, Ore., Indianapolis, Toronto, Philadelphia, Minneapolis, among others.

The primary local example of the benefits of attracting bicyclists is Lanesboro. I assume most readers know how the town staked its future on bikes and clearly came out ahead.

A great Minnesota example is Dorset on the Heartland Trail. It’s a tiny, unincorportated town with a vibrant summer economy of ice cream, restaurants and gift shops. It even bills itself as the “Restaurant Capital of the World.” I hope Hayward someday is the Dorset of southern Minnesota. The Front Street bike lane will be part of the Albert Lea area’s bicycle infrastructure, an infrastructure on which the area ought to capitalize.

And I always like to remind people that the best local dollars are tourism dollars. People come, spend their money and leave. They hardly burden our tax-supported government services, like schools, sewers and social services. Economic development is just plain hard in rural areas. Bike facilities are proven to work. Frankly, I am surprised so many people are outright opposed to the Front Street bike lane.

Maybe here in Albert Lea, some of us are just stuck in old models of economics. And we forget the hospital, schools and businesses want to attract quality professionals to Albert Lea. The means to get around on a bike is a good recruitment tool. Talented people succeed, which breeds more jobs.

So here’s the rub: In the past decade a lot of progress has been made around the country with educating people on the benefits of bike facilities. Albert Lea is now learning, thanks to the Front Street bike lane debate and to the 2009 Vitality Project. Bike facilities make streets safer, and there is a return on the investment.

Still, the best means of educating people is to get them on a bike. So I ask people who are skeptical of the bike lane to try getting around town on a bike and see how it goes. Like with tasting food, it is hard to knock something until you try it.

Tribune Managing Editor Tim Engstrom’s column appears every other Tuesday.