Andy Clarke made it sound easy. As easy as riding a bicycle.

Clarke, president of the national League of American Bicyclists, made his case this morning for encouraging bicycle riding in Lancaster County.

Speaking to about 45 county and municipal planners, local police officers and bicycle advocates at the county's Farm & Home Center, Clarke promoted bicycling as a means of improving the overall health of the population, air quality and economic vitality, as well as reducing traffic congestion.

At the workshop meeting organized by the Lancaster County Planning Commission, Clarke gave examples of what other communities have done to encourage bicycling and receive the League's "Bicycle Friendly" designation.

Workshop planners are hoping the meeting will begin a community dialogue about steps that can be taken here.

With relatively minor adjustments, communities across the country have gotten more people riding bicycles.

He pointed to Corvalis, Ore., where some streets were repainted to add bike lanes. In San Francisco, icons were painted on the roads to indicate where bicyclists should ride. In Carmel, Ind., parallel bike paths were added along some streets.

Portland, Ore., he said, is the shinning example in the United States. City officials there have worked for more than 15 years to expand gradually a bicycling transportation network.

Bicycle riders that were counted crossing a Portland bridge showed the increase in bicycle ridership, he said. In 1992, there were between 2,500 and 3,000 bicyclists riding daily on the bridge crossing. That daily number is now up to 16,700.

Eight percent of Portland's population now uses bicycles as its primary means of transportation. Another 10 percent of residents use bicycles as their secondary means, he said.

"They're actually changing behavior," Clarke said.

He emphasized that making accommodations for bicycles isn't just benefiting the spandex-clad cyclists, but everyone.

About a third of the population cannot drive, whether due to age, disability or income, he said. Bicycling allows many more people to get around.

He cited a bridge built in Charleston, S.C., that was built with an added lane for bicyclists and pedestrians. The bridge has become so popular that parking areas were built at each end because people were driving to the bridge so they could ride across.

"People want to be there. They want to ride. They want to walk. They want to run," he said.

The ability to ride or walk is seen as contributing significantly to an area's quality of life. Studies show access to trails increases home sales. Businesses locate in areas that are bike-friendly because that helps them attract employees, he said.

It also helps attract tourists. In Quebec, the Canadian province has gradually built a 2,600-mile greenway called La Route Verte. It was finished last year at a cost of about $200 million. It generated about $100 million in tourism spending in its first year, he said.

Some 40 percent of trips are to destinations that are less than two miles from home, he said. Of those, 89 percent are made by car in the United States.

Some 28 percent of trips are one mile or less. Of those, about 67 percent are made by car.

"Those are the trips that we can get people to make by bike," he said. "Maybe not to work, but to visit friends or to the store."


Staff writer Bernard Harris can be reached at bharris@LNPnews.com or 481-6022.