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The thread should be for the top 10 most bikeable large cities, not all cities.
I'd love to see how Miami Beach would be measured given its bike paths, flat urban terrain and the 100 public bike stations within its 7 square miles.
Maybe the 37 feet of snow makes it harder to pedal
37 - your IQ
You would be surprised by how many people bike throughout the winter.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ironcouger
Why the sarcasm I agree Minneapolis is the best mid sized city for biking its just not on the same level as the other large cities. Im not sure if its the best ranked city in the USA but its not the best large city for biking because its a mid size city.
Having a city-proper population of 500,000+ should not guarantee that a city of that size automatically surpasses a city of less than 500,000. The city of Minneapolis has a great biking infrastructure and is definitely on the same level as most of the cities listed, especially Portland, Denver, Seattle, and Tucson, AZ. Hell, it's scored a 79, which blows the others away.
I like that a lot. That looks really nice and much safer and more practical than on-road bike lanes.
It looks great on paper and to the non-cyclists, but the reality is that moving bikes away from cars does not lead to safety. Cars almost never hit bikes from behind driving down a straight road, so you're solving a non-existant problem by trying to avoid that situation. Most accidents happen when cars are turning and don't see the cyclist, and now you are asking motorists to see bikes that are even further from their line of sight when they make turns. Frankly this situation scares me far more than having no bike lane. The only way that setup is safer is if (1) there are overpasses/underpasses or some way that the bikes and cars never cross, or (2) if there are three turns of the light (which slows traffic flow), but doesn't allow cars to turn while bikes have a green. Neither of these are feasible in most situations. As a cyclist, I would much rather have a bike lane immediately next to the driving lanes, with a 5ft buffer before parking spots on the edge of the road. It keeps bikes out of the door zone, and makes the rider visible to cars coming from behind and preparing to turn, as well as those pulling out of parking spots.
That's an interesting point, but I'm pretty sure the idea is actually that it give bikes their own status as a viable transportation option. Usually, bikes are either relegated to the sidewalk, implying that it's a form of pedestrianism, or scrunched up next to auto traffic, implying that cyclists need the same treatment as drivers, which isn't true.
Anyway, I can't imagine the total number of accidents would even change that much. If anything, the increased visual prominence of the bike lane would make it that much more obvious to drivers to pay attention to it, and at least help to cancel out any negative effect the distance from the rest of traffic the setup would have.
For you, an experienced cyclist, this doesn't seem necessary, but think of how many people will be willing to start cycling under a system like this one. It's aesthetically pleasing, there's a bunch of space for a bunch of people, it sends a very clear message that cycling is a viable and welcome third transportation alternative, and it solves the psychological issue of being so close to moving cars.
I think the positives far outweigh the negatives on this one.
I don't look at quantity but the "quality" of bike paths. Most bike lanes in American cities are horribly designed and down right dangerous forcing cyclists to share the road with auto traffic resulting in several collisions every year. The Netherlands by far has the best and safest bike paths on the planet. They are way ahead of us in design and usage (per capita). The only city in the country that finally got it right is Indy. Most of the Cultural Trail is identical to the Dutch style bike lane design. Unlike your typical stripped lanes along the street design the Cultural Trail is color coded paved and grade separated. As a former triathlete, I think this is a more practical and safer design. I just like how it connects all the neighborhoods like a grade separated highway system. You just don't have to worry about someone running into your path while driving and texting or simply not paying attention.
Photo I shot
Indy's Cultural Trail: Pedestrians / Cyclists / Auto Traffic (The grade separation Dutch inspired design)
Another example:
auto / cyclists / pedestrians (better signage and pavement markings)
Dutch design bike path
Cyclists in the Netherlands(and in much of Europe) seem a little different than what I see in the US. People are just riding heavy old school three-speed cruisers in normal and stylish street clothes(and never wear helmets), sort of casually, so a ride on a separate bike route is slow going easy affair. You're riding around streets that were often around originally long before the automobile--often you're dodging pedestrians more than cars. Serious oad bikers, wherever they are--must be out in the countryside or something, because I never saw them on the streets of Amsterdam. It's just a easy way to get where you are going slightly faster than walking.
In the US biking culture in the cities seems to be different. For one, some people will look at bike riding as an alternative to car commuting and not just a little faster than walking. In Portland, we have a whole group of aggressive bikers, who are either spandex warriors imagining they are in the Tour De France on a daily basis or wannabe bike messenger/punk types riding their fixies. There's bike commuters who look at it as a serious exercise to be taken as fast as possible. That's why I got tired of riding my bike to work in the bike lanes, there was just as much bike traffic as street traffic--and there's too many Lance Armstrong-wannabes darting in between the bike lanes and traffic. And lord knows, you can't get one of these types to stop at a red light or for a pedestrian who's crossing the street with the proper right of way. But it's also a result of the fact that due to the auto-centric nature of our transport systems, a lot of cyclists are used to simply navigating the same streets as cars and riding with traffic...
You would be surprised by how many people bike throughout the winter.
Having a city-proper population of 500,000+ should not guarantee that a city of that size automatically surpasses a city of less than 500,000. The city of Minneapolis has a great biking infrastructure and is definitely on the same level as most of the cities listed, especially Portland, Denver, Seattle, and Tucson, AZ. Hell, it's scored a 79, which blows the others away.
Some people on this site act as if once the weather gets cold, all outdoor activities completely cease and everyone stays huddle inside all winter.
Top 10 Most Bikeable Large U.S. Cities
1. Portland (Bike Score: 70.3)
2. San Francisco (Bike Score: 70.0)
3. Denver (Bike Score: 69.5)
4. Philadelphia (Bike Score: 68.4)
5. Boston (Bike Score: 67.8)
6. Washington D.C. (Bike Score: 65.3)
7. Seattle (Bike Score: 64.1)
8. Tucson (Bike Score: 64.1)
9. New York (Bike Score: 62.3)
10. Chicago (Bike Score: 61.5)
Way to exclude an entire Metro Area with two of the top scoring biking scores: SACRAMENTO AND DAVIS
DAVIS (Bike Score: 89.4)
1. Portland (Bike Score: 70.3)
2. San Francisco (Bike Score: 70.0)
3. Denver (Bike Score: 69.5)
4. Philadelphia (Bike Score: 68.4) 5. SACRAMENTO (Bike Score: 68.3)
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