Top 10 bike-friendly cities
TheTibetanMonkey showing-the-path-of-enlightenment-in-the-jungle
because I don't think there could a city more hostile to cyclists.
Let's then visit briefly those cities where the cyclists are
considered people, not monkeys. Do the monkeys have any value? Not
unless they buy an SUV. Anyway, without further ado...
(I quote)
With fuel costs soaring and environmental conservation in vogue, the
bicycle is making a comeback in many cities, becoming a major part of
urban transportation plans.
Men’s Web site AskMen.com has come up with a list of the world’s top
most bicycle-friendly cities.
1. Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Amsterdam’s comes top when it comes to bicycle-friendly cities and
nearly 40 percent of all commutes in Amsterdam are done by bicycle.
Public bikes are available to rent and plans to construct a massive
bike parking structure at the city’s main train station are underway.
2. Copenhagen, Denmark
About 32 percent of Copenhagen residents are biking to work on a
regular basis. The city’s pro-bike culture allows you to rent a public
bike for free for just a deposit.
3. Bogota, Colombia
While government programs for bike riding aren’t as robust as those in
Europe or America, Bogota has a demographic advantage that makes it a
bicycle-friendly city — only 13 percent of residents own cars, which
makes bicycles a necessity. In fact, once a week, the city closes over
70 miles of streets to vehicle traffic in favor of bicycle riders,
joggers, skaters and others.
4. Curitiba, Brazil
Bicycle integration is at the core of the well-planned Curitiba. The
city has been pushing cycling as the go-to mode of transportation for
more than 40 years and the result has been the ubiquity of bike lanes.
A vibrant bike-oriented activist community exists to promote bicycle
riding as an alternative to auto congestion.
5. Montreal
Two years ago, Montreal embarked on a $134 million plan to revamp the
city’s bike trails and create a more bicycle-friendly atmosphere. The
plan included incorporating bicycle-friendly lock points into standard
parking meters. The city currently boasts 2,400 miles of trails with
plans to expand. Montreal also has the first urban bike-share
infrastructure in North America, the Bixi program.
6. Portland, Ore.
Portland has created bicycle paths that connect the urban
neighborhoods so a rider can bypass auto commuting altogether. The
city also offers low-cost commuter bicycles to the city’s less wealthy
residents which come complete with a helmet, lock, pump, maps, and
rain gear. With over 260 miles of trails and paths, Portland achieves
a commuter rate of nearly 9 percent.
7. Basel, Switzerland
Basel features street lanes specifically geared toward bicycle riders
and include left-hand turn lanes that are unique to riders. Basel also
supports a robust network of bike-rental programs that allow tourists
and residents alike to ride.
8. Barcelona, Spain
Among the now-standard bike lanes, signals and maps that are
ubiquitous in major European cities, Barcelona also has created a
green ring that runs the perimeter of the urban core. This bike path
is peppered with 100 different bike stations as part of Barcelona’s
bike-sharing program, allowing riders to rent and drop off at
different locations.
9. Beijing
As in most developing countries, the car is on the rise, but biking is
still the best way to get around Beijing as car traffic is so slow and
congested. Air quality has been a major issue with the promotion of
bicycle riding as a prominent policy push.
10. Trondheim, Norway
One of the biggest drawbacks to riding a bicycle has to be pedaling
uphill so Trondheim has come up with a novel solution to riding uphill
— bicycle lifts that act like ski tows and allow the rider to glide up
a hill without having to pedal.
http://worldtourismblog.com/tag/curitiba/
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"In the jungle there's a strict hierarchy where size matters"
Edward Dolan
"TheTibetanMonkey showing-the-path-of-enlightenment-in-the-jungle"
<nolionn...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:fd1e3cde-3841-4a7d...@l19g2000yqb.googlegroups.com...
(I quote)
http://worldtourismblog.com/tag/curitiba/
> Most of the above cities appear to have been selected because they offer
> free bike exchanges or rentals to casual users. Who cares about that? My
> sole criterion is how many bike paths does the city have. On that basis I
> think Minneapolis would rank pretty near the top although I have heard
> lots of good things about Portland too.
> Regards,
> Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota
aka
Saint Edward the Great - Order of the Perpetual Sorrows - Minnesota
I'll Always Be 20/01/10
<fd1e3cde-3841-4a7d-a67c-1482fcfdeeb8@l1
9g2000yqb.googlegroups.com>,
TheTibetanMonkey
showing-the-path-of-enlightenment-in-th
e-jungle <nolionn...@yahoo.com>
wrote:
> No, my city is NOT among them.
Davis California. At various times
bicycles have outnumbered cars