Ask the Expert
By Holly Schwartz
Would you buy a home based on whether or not the location is bike friendly? Turns out in some areas bikeability is thought to increase home values. It’s a trend that’s racing through the nation. Will it roll through our area as well? And how could it affect the desirability of homes and their values? I recently wrote about a Walk Score, a measure of how easy it is to get around without a car. Currently, there is no Bike Score data for Newport Beach or Laguna Beach, but Irvine has an impressive overall Bike Score of 70 out of 100 (1 is the least bike friendly, 100 is the most) on www.Walkscore.com. Long Beach scores 66. Interestingly, even though the Southern California climate seems logical for being bike friendly, Forbes.com cited some of the top cities for bike friendliness in 2015 to be Minneapolis, San Francisco, Portland, Denver and Boston.
It seems surprising that Los Angeles and San Diego are missing on this list, doesn’t it? Although a formal Bike Score hasn’t been assigned to Newport Beach or Laguna Beach just yet, there are some factors that go into making a community bike friendly that we can look at to evaluate our area. For example, the presence of bike trails and bike lanes make a neighborhood easier to navigate by bike. Share the road campaigns, organized rides, and bike to work/school days are ways that local communities can promote biking. Businesses and restaurants can also encourage bikeability by offering bike parking spaces as well. In fact, some areas are even offering bike valets! Newport and Laguna are home to plenty of picturesque bike trails such as the Back Bay Loop in Newport and the El Moro trails from Crystal Cove State Park. Sharrows (stencils on the road of an arrow with a bike below it) mark many roadways around town to show that bikes and vehicles share the streets in those areas. Laguna has created a continuous north-south bike route that parallels Coast Highway to help bicyclists navigate safely around the busiest thoroughfare. The bike lifestyle is alive and well in our coastal area and has been gaining momentum throughout the nation for its economic, health, and lifestyle perks. On the economic front, bike sales increase, tourism benefits, and businesses located near bike lanes often see profits soar. In terms of health, riding a bike is great exercise and a fun recreational activity. Plus lifestyle is enhanced by less traffic congestion, less pollution, and putting more money in your pocket due to the savings on gas and parking. Of course, there is also the notion that homes in bike friendly communities are worth more. Why? The simple reason is because people want to live in areas that work for their lifestyle. It all comes back to location, the tried and true top real estate rule. Some home shoppers who appreciate the convenience of a bike friendly location will be on the lookout for the telltale signs of a bike friendly community. It will be interesting to see how Newport and Laguna rank on Bike Score and see if they can keep pace with Irvine.
Holly Schwartz is a Realtor with Villa Real Estate and lives in Costa Mesa.
