Chicago: No. 10 for biking

BICYCLING MAGAZINE NAMES CHICAGO NO. 10 MOST BIKE-FRIENDLY CITY IN AMERICA Mayor Daley makes cycling priority in the Windy City NEW YORK (April 6, 2010) – In its May issue, Bicycling magazine ranks the fifty most bike-friendly cities in America and Chicago comes in at number ten. Rounding out the top ten spots as overall best are Minneapolis, MN; Portland, OR; Boulder, CO; Seattle, WA; Eugene, OR; San Francisco, CA; Madison, WI; New York, NY; and Tucson, AZ. Mayor Richard Daley might have more enthusiasm for cycling than any other mayor in the United States. In addition to a growing network of bike lanes, the city has amenities such as valet bike parking and indoor bike racks, helping it stand out amongst the competition. This year’s list pays homage to cities that have shown real innovation, as well as local government support and a vibrant bike culture. Highlights from the new 2010 best cities for cycling are as follows: Top 10 Best Cities: #1 Minneapolis, Minnesota #2 Portland, Oregon #3 Boulder, Colorado #4 Seattle, Washington #5 Eugene, Oregon #6 San Francisco, California #7 Madison, Wisconsin #8 New York, New York #9 Tucson, Arizona #10 Chicago, Illinois Worst Cities: Birmingham, Alabama, Jacksonville, Florida, Memphis, Tennessee 5 Rising Stars: #8 New York City #17 Albuquerque, New Mexico #23 Long Beach, California #39 Cleveland, Ohio #44 Miami, Florida Bicycling’s Best Cities list this year proves that great things can happen in short periods of time, even in the largest metropolitan areas, said Loren Mooney, Editor-in-Chief of Bicycling. New York City is literally re-engineering its streets to accommodate bikes. And watching a city like Miami pull a 180 to become bike friendly has been incredibly gratifying for us. This year’s list is evidence that a much needed, far reaching pro-bike movement is in full swing, all across the country. To compile the list, Bicycling editors strove for geographical diversity and considered cities with populations of 100,000 or more. They narrowed it down using factors such as cycling-friendly statistics (numbers of bike lanes and routes, bike racks, city projects completed and planned) including changes in these statistics and a city’s future plans since the last survey; and bike culture (number of bike commuters, cycling clubs, cycling events, renowned bike shops). Editors also referenced the Bicycling and Walking in the United States 2010 Benchmarking Report prepared by the Alliance for Biking and Walking, the League of American Bicyclists’ Bicycle Friendly America project, and interviews with national and local advocates, bike shops, and other experts. As for the worst American cities for cycling, Bicycling pointed to Birmingham, Alabama; Jacksonville, Florida; and Memphis, Tennessee. Despite community interest in cycling, these cities have fallen victim to suburban sprawls that lack bike lanes, and slow-going planning and implementation of improvements.