Bike friendly cities

cities, where we live — By Bob Riel on June 5, 2009 at 7:03 am

In the search for the best places to live, many people would look for a city that is considered bike friendly. It suggests, at a minimum, that fitness and environmental values are important to local citizens. And, if you pick the right home, it also means that you could possibly commute to work on a bike, or at least have easy access to bike trails for weekend jaunts. But what cities are the most bike friendly? Hal Amen has put together for Matador Travel a list of 15 urban areas worldwide that are considered friendly to bicyclists.

Not surprisingly, Amsterdam and several other European cities are near the top of the list. He also includes such places as Cape Town, South Africa, and Perth, Australia, as well as a half dozen North American entries. Here is a sampling of his “pedal heavens:”

Amsterdam, Netherlands – The “bicycling capital of Europe” tops many lists—including this one, it seems—as the most bike friendly city anywhere. Safe and extensive route networks, serious governmental promotion, and a bike culture that transcends class boundaries are all reasons why 40% of the city’s traffic moves on two wheels.

Copenhagen, Denmark – In the Danish capital, nearly a third of the workforce gets to the office by bike. By some estimates, that’s more than 1 million kilometers pedaled every day!

Portland, Oregon - … Most people consider the bike capital of the U.S. The only thing as impressive as Portland’s bicycle infrastructure (including a 260-mile network) and commuter stats (almost 10%, the highest in the country) is the camaraderie of its cyclist community.

Boulder, Colorado- Denver’s little hippy bro to the north dedicates 15% of its transportation budget to improving and promoting bicycle travel. Nearly every major roadway has a designated cycling area, and they’ve even instituted a pilot program to get kids biking to school.

See the entire article for descriptions of 11 other bike friendly cities.