Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Oil

“Bike-Washing” the Keystone Pipeline [Updated]

false

Houston-based architecture firm SWA Group has heads spinning today: Is their proposal to build a bikeway next to the Keystone Pipeline pure satire or a serious attempt to "bike-wash" the most reviled fossil fuel distribution project of our day?

SWA developed this idyllic rendering and sent it to the State Department and TransCanada, calling for a bike path alongside the proposed 1,300-mile Keystone Pipeline. The firm acknowledged that the drawing was tongue-in-cheek but insisted to Bloomberg that the proposal was serious. Apparently, SWA thinks the bikeway would defuse opposition to the pipeline and attract tourists.

That's too bad, because as satire, it's pretty sharp. A version of this happens all the time in cities: Proponents of an expensive boondoggle road project that will do nothing but encourage long, life-sapping commutes slap a bicycle path on the plans and call it a "multi-modal" corridor to placate opposition.

Environmentalists still aren't sure the Keystone bikeway isn't a joke. “Seriously, this can’t be for real," said Tiernan Sittenfeld of the League of Conservation Voters.

“I think it’s ridiculous,” said Jane Kleeb, of Bold Nebraska, a pipeline opposition group.

A spokesman for TransCanada rejected the proposal, saying the corporation doesn't own the land where the pipeline is planned and that any structures would block access to the pipeline. Meanwhile, Salon reports the bike lane proposal would cost a cool $400 million.

Update: Looks like this proposal is more satirical than SWA has been letting on to the press, since they originally put it out on April Fool's Day. Well played. (Hat tip: Richard Masoner.)

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

KOMANOFF: Data Show South Bronx Isn’t Seeing Increased Traffic from Congestion Pricing

The central business district toll did not lead to a traffic influx in the South Bronx, our columnist reveals.

September 9, 2025

Opinion: Let’s Put a Real Busway on Atlantic Avenue

Yes, everyone is talking about the city's busway plans for Flatbush Avenue, but Brooklyn’s true corridor for bus rapid transit its east-west spine.

September 9, 2025

Tuesday’s Headlines: Adams v. Adams Edition

Can a Speaker named Adams finish the job that a mayor named Adams has failed to do? Plus other news.

September 9, 2025

DOT Downsizes Very Modest Brooklyn Bike Lane Plan After Pushback

Activists were furious that such a minimal initial proposal had been truncated further after predictable bikelash.

September 8, 2025

Adams Admin. Will ‘Begin Installing’ Flatbush Ave. Bus Lanes After Years of Dithering

The full plan which includes pedestrian bump-outs and bus boarding islands will have to wait until the spring, officials said.

September 8, 2025
See all posts