Cycling Meccas

A travel site ranks the world's 11 most bike friendly cities.

Comments

[Michael Wells]

I like that Portland is #2, but come on. All of the top cycling cities are in the US and Europe? What about China, Hong Kong, India? While motorcycles are replacing bicycles in many places, there are still millions on the road. There may not be bike lanes and bike friendly government policies, but I'll bet you'll see more cyclists in Shanghai than Portland or Boulder.

[Dave M]

Have a peek at http://canadascapital.gc.ca/bins/ncc_web_content_page.asp?cid=16297-16299-9970-9971-29551&lang=1. Very sad that Ottawa has this, and yet has neglected the upkeep and renewal of cycling infrastructure so much that it can't get a mention on a list like this. The city is filled with exactly the kind of young, environmentally-conscious, budget-constrained professionals who are amenable to cycle-commuting, and also professes to draw tourists with its activity-friendly geography. It should be making an effort to be a world leader in bike-friendly.

[Sprocketboy]

A lot of people have commented on the wired.com article and everyone thinks the list is wildly inaccurate. The obvious fault is that it lists so many US cities although bicycles are a fairly negligible part of the American transportation system. Anyone who has travelled in parts of Western Europe would be able to name dozens of exceptionally bike-friendly places, but since the League of American Bicyclists put the list together we should not be surprised. Germany has 40,000 kms of signposted long-distance bike routes--show me something similar in the US! I presently live in Ottawa and while it has a good network of recreational paths, I would not consider it overly bike-friendly. My health club is only 6 kms away from my home and I have to drive there since it is too dangerous to ride.