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UpLift Bike Docks, a Sustainable Sites project available from The Park Catalog, now offers a solution to a major problem faced by many cities and universities today.

Bicycle commuting is on the rise. According to the League of American Bicyclists, since 2000 the number of people commuting by bicycle in the US has grown by a whopping 62%.

In some cities like Portland, nearly 6% of residents commute by bicycle. That amount skyrocketed by 234% from 2000 to 2013. The same trend is taking place

The newly popular position of city bicycle transportation engineer is responsible for everything from bike lanes to outdoor bike racks

By Gerald Dlubala

Bicycling and bike commuting are up overall across the nation. So are the number of bicycle transportation engineers.

Here's why. Bicycle ridership figures are up 60% over the last 15 years. But if you look at communities designated as "bicycle-friendly", meaning infrastructure, roads, outdoor bike racks and facilities conducive to bike riding and commuting, that figure jumps to more than a 100% increase. The willingness and desire to at least consider bicycling is there, given the opportunity through safe roads and ease of travel.

More bicyclists

Custom bike rack in Laramie Wyo. designed by artist Meg Thompson (Source: Laramie Main Street Alliance

It's a very simple formula for towns to attract business and add a little zest to the landscape - install artistic custom bike racks.

With today's advances in bicycle parking manufacturing, more and more municipalities and downtown development associations are discovering that they can easily feature a bunch of artistic bike racks on their sidewalks.

This immediately creates a buzz that brings in shoppers and creates a newfound sense of pride from residents.

The manufacturing of bike racks has made incredible advances in the past few decades. Rather than ordering a plain old grid-style bike rack, towns can now liven up their streets with butterflies, flowers,

Model "green" bike lane in NYC - Source: NYC.go

May is National Bike Month and a great time to be a bicyclist. Municipals planners are starting to see the light when it comes to providing the infrastructure needed, such as more bike lanes, bike laws and outdoor bike racks, to support an ever-growing community of bike users.

In the past five years, there have been reportedly 3,000 bike -related projects funded with federal dollars across the US. That includes the creation of bike lanes and paths, addition of more outdoor bike racks and generally making it safer for people who prefer to pedal than drive.

"Almost everywhere in the United States there are better places to bike now than there were five or 10 years ago," said Tim Blumenthal, president of Bike Belong.

And why not? Look at the recent trends showing a surge in bike usage in the United States. According to the People for Bikes organization here are the stats:

Spending - Americans