Top Cities for Cyclists

[Minneapolitan]

The Census has listed the top 50 cities for bike commuters by percentage and by overall numbers of commuting cyclists. Here are the top ten in each category.

Percentage of commuting cyclists:

1. Portland

2. Minneapolis

3. Seattle

4. Tuscon

5. San Francisco

6. Sacramento

7. Washington DC,

8. Oakland

9. Honolulu

10. Denver

Numbers of commuting cyclists:

1. New York

2. Los Angeles

3. Portland

4. Chicago

5. San Francisco

6. Seattle

7. Tuscon

8. Philadelphia

9. Austin

10. Minneapolis

[Minneapolitan]

Here are the bottom feeders. With the exception of Omaha, I'm not surprised to see the others ranking so poorly.

41. Dallas

42. Nashville

43. Oklahoma City

44. Charlotte

45. San Antonio

46. Omaha

47. Wichita

48. Indianapolis

49. Memphis

50. Kansas City (MO)

[FromCityToRural]

Damn, and here I clicked on this one thinking I'd see something to do with motorcycles.

I'm actually a bit surprised to see Oakland. It's not THAT urban a city unless you're close to the downtown area.

[REI]

I am rather familiar with Portland being popular with cyclists.

I am surprised that it comes in 3rd after LA and NY in the total number of commuting cyclists given how much smaller the Portland is compared to the other two.

[JCT]

I hate to see so many southern cities near the bottom of the list, but I am not surprised. I used to bike commute in Memphis, and I would expect that city to get a pretty low ranking. Mnay drivers there just don't seem to like cyclists on the roads. Southern cities in general have a lot of sprawl which means many a lot of frustrated drivers with long commutes.

Greenville SC, where I live now, is becoming more bike friendly all the time. We still have a long way to go, but I am optimistic that attitudes are changing here as they are in many other places. I still get honked at occasionally during rush hour, but more and more people these days roll down their windows at stoplights to ask me questions about bike commuting. The interest is a good sign.

[Spartan]

The Census is a bad place to start for numbers of bicyclists. Those are based on "commutes" but do not take into account that there are many more people who bike recreationally. Southern cities will trend lower for bike commuters simply based on their suburban nature, but that doesn't mean they are bad cities for bikers.

I suggest looking at this list from the League of American Bicyclists. They rate and award cities based on those who submit applications that address a very wide range of criteria. Its not perfect, its a good place to start. It shows cities that are proactive in promoting bicycling and maintaining bicycle infrastructure. I suspect that if a city is proactive about biking then they would have applied for this designation. Its not just a "government" thing, but its a community driven effort that gets you to the top level.

For example, my hometown of Spartanburg, SC is the only city in SC to make the list, but they may also be the only city that has applied. It is well respected in South Carolina for its efforts to promote safe biking and build infrastructure even though the actual number of bike commuters is low.

Davis, California is widely regarded as the best city in America for cyclists, and is the only city to receive the platinum designation from the League.

[Minneapolitan]

I think the Census list paints a pretty accurate picture. Also, there's a good chance that if a city has large numbers of people commuting by bike, it also has large numbers of recreational bikers.

The League of American Bicyclists rates and awards cities based on those who submit applications. Minneapolis has far better bike trails and is much more bike friendly than a lot of the cities listed. It's not on there because it didn't submit applications for recognition???

The city of Minneapolis has several miles of paved, dedicated bike lanes, a 50-mile route around the city called the Grand Rounds Scenic Byway, and three other trails that pass through the city. These trails are interlinked with dozens of others throughout the metro, which makes for great recreational biking (even during winter months).

[RaleighRob]

I hate to see so many southern cities near the bottom of the list, but I am not surprised. I used to bike commute in Memphis, and I would expect that city to get a pretty low ranking. Mnay drivers there just don't seem to like cyclists on the roads. Southern cities in general have a lot of sprawl which means many a lot of frustrated drivers with long commutes.

[frymasterspeck]

FWIW, Providence, RI is moving toward bike-friendliness, adding bike lanes and signage. We actually have a pretty good system of bike paths that continues to grow. NB: Cotuit's Greater City: Providence is a continuous advocate in this direction.

That said, not all the auto drivers on board with the concept. For example, we had an international-level triathalon over the weekend. During the run, an athlete was...wait for it...hit by a car. And he finished 2nd. Now that's one tough cookie. No word of a lie.

[frymasterspeck]

I'm guessing NYC doesn't qualify.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUkiyBVytRQ: Video on YouTube.

NYPD Investigating: Story on NY Times City Blogs also has video.

[wolverine]

^ If you like to judge a city by one person.

Besides there are dozens of youtube videos out there of critical mass situations gone wrong in all types of places

I've never had problem biking in NYC. The police there aren't out to get cyclists. I was riding on sidewalks, and watched people blow through red lights and the cops (even the ones on bikes) did absolutely nothing when they could have easily ticked people.

Both Chicago and NYC have been awesome as far as biking. Lots of extra room, bike lanes, and motorists have been pretty good at giving space.

[knoxster77]

The Census has listed the top 50 cities for bike commuters by percentage and by overall numbers of commuting cyclists. Here are the top ten in each category.

Percentage of commuting cyclists:

1. Portland

2. Minneapolis

3. Seattle

4. Tuscon

5. San Francisco

6. Sacramento

7. Washington DC,

8. Oakland

9. Honolulu

10. Denver

Numbers of commuting cyclists:

1. New York

2. Los Angeles

3. Portland

4. Chicago

5. San Francisco

6. Seattle

7. Tuscon

8. Philadelphia

9. Austin

10. Minneapolis

[Nic]

Austin is larger than every city on the percentage of commuting cycling list except San Fransisco. Don't forget this is cities we're talking about, not metropolitan areas.

It makes perfect sense that Austin with about twice as many people as Minneapolis for instance, would have more commuting cyclists in sheer numbers, but a lower percentage.