An Amusement & Diversion for The Genteel Cyclist. Daily.

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

America's best bike towns -- scientifically proven!


Last week, the US Census Bureau released a new report about how Americans commute. No surprise, the single occupant automobile still rules the road. But the report also notes that bike commuting is on the rise, and it rates American cities by roadshare. Forthwith, the top 10 biking cities in the country, as determined by a conscientious and rigorously scientific government agency, funded through the generosity of the American taxpayer:



Portland / 3.5
Minneapolis / 2.4
Seattle / 2.3
Tucson / 2.2
San Francisco / 1.8
Sacramento / 1.8
Washington DC / 1.7
Oakland / 1.5
Honolulu / 1.4
Denver / 1.4

The bottom 10 U.S. cities for bike commuting:

City / Percentage

Dallas / 0.2
Nashville / 0.2
Oklahoma City / 0.2
Charlotte / 0.2
San Antonio / 0.1
Omaha / 0.1
Wichita / 0.1
Indianapolis / 0.1
Memphis / 0.1
Kansas City (MO) / 0.0



Lest those of us who get top billing be too smug about it, that little number to the right is the percentage of commuters using bikes. That kind of percentage won't get you out of tee-ball, compared to many European cities with better bike infrastructure. And shame on Kansas City--the town where we were born, and shall never return, until it's a bike town.Wichita, too-- isn't Steve Tilford from there? Geeze, what do you people want to ride your bikes — a personalized invitation and a tax write-off?!

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