The City of Tucson submitted an application for the People For Bikes’ Green Lane Project and are hoping to be one of six cities selected.

If selected, Tucson would receive technical and financial support from the organization to build protected bicycle infrastructure in the city.

A protected bike lane separates bicycles and motor vehicles using a physical barrier. They are often called a cycletrack and are popular in European countries. Recently places like New York, San Francisco and Chicago have been adding miles of protected bike lanes.

The city’s bicycle and pedestrian program manager Ann Chanecka said one of the first protected bike lanes the city will implement is on Church Avenue from Sixth Street/ St. Mary’s to Cushing Street.

Other protected bike lane projects include:

St. Mary’s from Church Avenue to the west side of I-10.

Broadway Boulevard from Euclid Avenue and Fourth Avenue.

Stone Avenue from Toole to Alameda.

Here is more information about the project from the Green Lane Project:

Six focus cities will be selected from across the U.S.to receive a suite of technical, financial and strategic resources, opportunities to network with peers on the development of protected lanes, and national recognition as a leader in the rapidly evolving practice of building better bike lanes. The winning cities will have a combination of political will, committed staff, community support and ambitious plans to implement protected bike lanes during the two-year campaign period of 2014-2015.

In early 2012, the first phase of the Green Lane Project selected six U.S. cities — Austin, Chicago, Memphis, Portland, San Francisco, and Washington D.C. — to form a select partnership of leaders supporting the creation of next-generation protected bike lanes in America. Since the Project launched, green lanes have flourished. In year one of the Project, the number of protected lanes on city streets expanded from 62 to 102. By the end of 2013, the number is expected to double again, to nearly 200.

People for Bikes will announce the six winners in March.