Bike-lane zealots rejoice! A group calling itself the "nation's leading bicycling movement" has selected Atlanta and five other U.S. cities in its push to build more urban bike lanes. The PeopleForBikes Green Lane Project is planning an intensive, two-year program to build better, safer bike lanes in Atlanta, Boston, Denver, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh and Seattle, according to a press release. The chosen cities will receive "financial, strategic and technical assistance to create low-stress streets and increase vitality in urban centers through the installation of protected bike lanes," officials said. The six cities were selected from more than 100 U.S. cities that submitted letters of interest for the program. "It was extremely difficult to narrow down our selection to just six cities," said Martha Roskowski, PeopleForBikes Vice President of Local Innovation. "The selected cities have ambitious goals and a strong vision supported by their elected officials and communities. They are poised to get projects on the ground quickly and will serve as excellent examples for other interested cities." Right on.

The Green Lane Project launched in 2012 to speed the installation of protected bike lanes around the country. They favor the type of on-street lanes separated from traffic by curbs, planters, parked cars or posts. Separating bikes from vehicles, leaders say, helps organize the street and make bicycling an appealing option for more people. What's more, it reduces bike, auto and pedestrian injuries by up to 50 percent while adding vitality and business investment to the streets, officials said.

More highlights from the press release:

"In the first two years of the program (2012 and 2013), the Green Lane Project worked closely with other major U.S. cities — Austin, Chicago, Memphis, Portland, San Francisco and Washington, DC — to build protected bike lanes. Since then, the number of protected bike lanes on city streets nationwide has nearly doubled from 80 to 142 — with more than half of all growth coming from the Project's original six focus cities."

Green Lane Project officials say they'll kick off the six-city collaboration with a press conference in Indianapolis late next month.

· PEOPLEFORBIKES SELECTS NEW GREEN LANE PROJECT CITIES [PFB]

· Official: Peachtree Bike Lanes Would Be 'Powerful Statement' [Curbed]

[10th Street cycle track. Photo: Curbed Atlanta]