A rose to making Des Moines a better place to bike and walk. City planners have proposed the area's first protected bike lanes in a seven-block area on East Grand Avenue stretching from the Des Moines River to Pennsylvania Avenue. The project will help slow traffic in the booming East Village, as well as improve pedestrian safety in an area becoming known for shopping, dining, living and entertaining. Des Moines will also find out what cities like Minneapolis; Austin, Texas; Portland, Ore.; and Chicago have discovered: Protected bike lines are good for business and the economy because retail development and increased property values tend to follow. The City Council should approve the pilot project.