Best biking city

[nickid]

Been lurking for a while, but now I've got a question for you


What city do you think has the most enlightened view towards cyclists?

Also - are there any cities where the government has closed down several streets for car traffic, to make them just for bikes and pedestrians?

 

[wheelist]

Been lurking for a while, but now I've got a question for you


What city do you think has the most enlightened view towards cyclists?

Also - are there any cities where the government has closed down several streets for car traffic, to make them just for bikes and pedestrians?

Surely it's San Francisco?

It's most definitely not a British city.

 

[cali-largeguy]

Been lurking for a while, but now I've got a question for you


What city do you think has the most enlightened view towards cyclists?

Also - are there any cities where the government has closed down several streets for car traffic, to make them just for bikes and pedestrians?

Hard to believe, but Fresno Ca. is very accomodating to cyclists. Every street has a large bike lane. There are 3 excellent bike shops in town. There are hundreds of miles of roads to ride out in the country and foothills, and most drivers are used to seeing tons of bikes out and about so they pay attention.

 

[Induray]

Jacksonville, Florida! We're greeted by flying bottles, dead armadillos or flat possums on the streets! Car drivers love us so much...that they throw themselves at us to get near to us cyclist..... So much love

 

[artmichalek]

Burlington, VT

Lots of bike lanes/paths, good shops, relatively good drivers, and minimal sprawl. Now if only it didn't snow five months out of the year...

 

[El Loto]

AMSTERDAM. Bikes rule the roost there. Case closed.

 

[Chance3290]

Jacksonville, Florida! We're greeted by flying bottles, dead armadillos or flat possums on the streets! Car drivers love us so much...that they throw themselves at us to get near to us cyclist..... So much love

Sounds a lot like Metro Atlanta, GA. They love ya to death.

I gotta agree with El Loto, Amsterdam, most any city in Holland, takes the cake from any US city.

Oh yeah, and they have the red-light district . Of course sometimes that makes cycling a...little more difficult.

 

[Rudy]

Sounds a lot like Metro Atlanta, GA. They love ya to death.

I gotta agree with El Loto, Amsterdam, most any city in Holland, takes the cake from any US city.

Oh yeah, and they have the red-light district . Of course sometimes that makes cycling a...little more difficult.

It sure AIN'T Metro Atlanta, GA.

Silver Comet and Silk Sheets here I come

 

[badhat]

fort collins and boulder colorado.


looking at a bike map of FTC its actually easier to plan around what roads DONT have bike lanes or great shoulders. (College Ave downtown is about it)

4 or 5 great bike shops, amazing variety of biking just out of town in every irection, from prairies to the rockys from country roads to single track. theres two multi use paths that criss-cross thru the town, and the weather is pretty mild, and by and large, drivers are pretty considerate

 

[huhenio]

Philadelphia is O.K, and D.C. has plenty of bike lines too.

But they will never compare to the West Coast or Europe.

 

[Chance3290]

It sure AIN'T Metro Atlanta, GA.

Silver Comet and Silk Sheets here I come

Rudy, head north or west. I rode to work today thru Paulding, Douglas and into Cobb. Rolling hills, lightish traffic and only one Eddie encounter.
Up north (Bartow) you got the Brewery ride and further north you've got the fun Mountains.
I hit the SCT every now and then and I'll always have a soft spot for it, but you know you've done the same route too many times when you start naming trees and rocks.

 

[g-brown]

fort collins and boulder colorado.

I also think Denver is very bike friendly, for a north american city. I live 15 miles from work and I can get there without having to get on the road except when I get downtown for a couple blocks. There are probably hundreds of miles of trails in the Denver metro area, stretching to all points. And if you have to ride on the roads the drivers are reasonably courteous too.

 

[dgregory57]

I definitely have to admit that I moved away from a great cycling area, and that is the San Francisco Bay Area.

Plenty of multi-use trails, lots of bike lanes (although a few needed desperately to have the trees trimmed back so as not to allow cyclists to use them instead of the lane). Even one scenic place that shut down a section of road (about 5 miles) on Saturday mornings to allow cyclists roller bladers etc a nice place to get some fresh air.

Drivers were in general more cognizant of sharing the road than in my current location (NE Pennsylvania).

I also liked my teen years in the Tacoma WA area. I rode my bike everywhere, but I haven't ridden there in many years, although on a recent visit I saw quite a few riders. Point Defiance Park closes 5 mile drive to cars one morning per week to provide a nice place for a quiet scenic ride.

 

[shannons dad]

I'd like to nominate Bolton. But I can't. It sucks. This dump serves one person. The driver. When I'm rich, I'm friggin' movin'.

 

[joetronic]

Its not a city, but Carroll County MD is very good to cyclists. they have Share the Road with bike sings everywhere. and any road that has a shoulder of 3 or more feet is a designated "bike route" and the shoulders are cleaned on a bi-weekly basis. You can also get "bike maps" at almost any gas station for free that tell you how large the shoulders on all main roads and tell you the traffic patterns.

 

[joetronic]

Drivers were in general more cognizant of sharing the road than in my current location (NE Pennsylvania).

.

Anywhere has to be better them my location, Adams County PA. Lots of nice contry roads to ride, but lots of Rednecks throwing big gulps as ya too. Funny thing is, people from all over the southern PA/norhtern MD area come here to ride.

 

[Eden]

I also liked my teen years in the Tacoma WA area. I rode my bike everywhere, but I haven't ridden there in many years, although on a recent visit I saw quite a few riders. Point Defiance Park closes 5 mile drive to cars one morning per week to provide a nice place for a quiet scenic ride.

I currently live in Seattle and though I can't speak to other big cities this is the best place I've lived yet for cycling. Warm enough all year round if you can deal with the rain. Mostly OK drivers and a huge cycling community. Lots of paved trails too, but they are usually too crowded to for me to want to use them too much.

 

[Dr.Hairybiker]

Best city to bike in? Well, it damn sure ain't New Orleans right about now..........

Just another reminder to everyone to help if you can.

 

[Batgirl77]

I'm surprised Portland, Oregon hasn't been mentioned yet. That's a terrific city to cycle in.

Amsterdam and The Netherlands, period. The Dutch actually emphasize riding *comfortable* bikes (what a concept!) as the 'cool factor' is pretty non-existant there. I find that very refreshing on a lot of levels.

fort collins and boulder colorado.


looking at a bike map of FTC its actually easier to plan around what roads DONT have bike lanes or great shoulders. (College Ave downtown is about it)

4 or 5 great bike shops, amazing variety of biking just out of town in every irection, from prairies to the rockys from country roads to single track. theres two multi use paths that criss-cross thru the town, and the weather is pretty mild, and by and large, drivers are pretty considerate

Yeah! X2

I live in Fort Collins, and it's very cycling-friendly. Roomy bike paths are found on just about every road and there's a place to lock up your bike wherever you go (it's also a college town). But there's a VERY high theft rate here.

Bett

 

[badhat]

bett did you ride the RAT ride this morning?

i went back and forth on it but ultimately decided against it cuz of the $$$ and the weather looked sorta ominous.