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Go Chicago!

National Geographic named Chicago the 3rd Bike Friendliest City!!!! Read the article here.

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Permalink Reply by igz on February 24, 2010 at 2:06pm
towards the top of bike friendly cities, yet towards the bottom on 'best places to live' lists
Permalink Reply by dan brown on February 24, 2010 at 2:48pm
yeah - but I think since we have the worst weather but also the most awesome bike shops
(and West Town, Working Bikes, etc.) , chainlink and Bikewinter folks, we are WAY above all the others.

chicago rules...period.
Permalink Reply by Rubani on February 24, 2010 at 3:10pm
Portland has a city population of 582,130; metro population of 2,159,720 and population density of 4,288.38/sq mi. (Wikipedia)

Chicago has a city population of 2,853,114; metro population of 9,785,747 and population density of 12,649/sq mi. (Wikipedia)

I don't know if we have 3-5 times the bike ridership, but I think our ranking is fairly promising for a large city.
Permalink Reply by Vondo on February 24, 2010 at 3:15pm
But I may be alone here, but with the way the city is laid out and our promising bike infrastructure, it doesn't feel like a big city. Once you take into account the bike community and everything, doesn't chicago FEEL like a smaller town?

Rubani said:
Portland has a city population of 582,130; metro population of 2,159,720 and population density of 4,288.38/sq mi. (Wikipedia)

Chicago has a city population of 2,853,114; metro population of 9,785,747 and population density of 12,649/sq mi. (Wikipedia)

I don't know if we have 3-5 times the bike ridership, but I think our ranking is fairly promising for a large city.
Permalink Reply by Rubani on February 24, 2010 at 3:28pm
Totally. Chicago feels very much like a big small town.

Vando said:
But I may be alone here, but with the way the city is laid out and our promising bike infrastructure, it doesn't feel like a big city. Once you take into account the bike community and everything, doesn't chicago FEEL like a smaller town?

Rubani said:
Portland has a city population of 582,130; metro population of 2,159,720 and population density of 4,288.38/sq mi. (Wikipedia)

Chicago has a city population of 2,853,114; metro population of 9,785,747 and population density of 12,649/sq mi. (Wikipedia)

I don't know if we have 3-5 times the bike ridership, but I think our ranking is fairly promising for a large city.
Permalink Reply by Tank-Ridin' Ryan on February 24, 2010 at 3:29pm
Not really, but you can definitely get somewhere quickly if you understand the grid system. Maybe it's the very active bike community that we're all part of that gives it kind of a small town feeling in that everyone knows everyone else to an extent.

Vando said:
But I may be alone here, but with the way the city is laid out and our promising bike infrastructure, it doesn't feel like a big city. Once you take into account the bike community and everything, doesn't chicago FEEL like a smaller town?
Rubani said:
Portland has a city population of 582,130; metro population of 2,159,720 and population density of 4,288.38/sq mi. (Wikipedia)

Chicago has a city population of 2,853,114; metro population of 9,785,747 and population density of 12,649/sq mi. (Wikipedia) I don't know if we have 3-5 times the bike ridership, but I think our ranking is fairly promising for a large city.
Permalink Reply by cutifly on February 24, 2010 at 3:52pm
Chicago is great until the City finds some way to rape you, and yes they do a fine job of it. As far as bike culture it is great but I do see the jerk attitudes emerging in the last couple years. Top it off with too many fruitcakes and not enough woman to offset the number of desperate men, kinda starting to suck. What was the # 1 bike city ???? I think I am gonna sell out and move there next summer.
Permalink Reply by yellow jello on February 24, 2010 at 4:31pm
well, it is National Geographic TRAVELERS. Also note that most of what they talk about (Chicago, and other cities alike) are more geared towards bike rental options, and touring/leisure rides.

I think by bike-friendly, NGT probably just meant accommodating to tourists who enjoy cycling while on vacation/traveling (wish to see city by bike), not necessarily friendly towards bicyclists (see #2, NYC?!)

If they wanted to rank bike communities, Chicago would probably be on the top of the list. Moving to Chicago for work without knowing anyone three and a half years ago, Chicago didn't feel like home until I started riding CCM and joined the Chainlink.

Also, what's the deal with Mayor Daley? He allegedly loves biking, but has anyone seen him out on the LFP, on the NBT or trackstanding at the intersection of LaSalle and Wacker? I'm ok if his staff pays people to call him the 'pro-bike mayor' but is he really a 'cycling mayor'?


iggi said:
towards the top of bike friendly cities, yet towards the bottom on 'best places to live' lists
Permalink Reply by Eric R on February 24, 2010 at 5:59pm
The study mentioned in the last paragraph is good news. If communities, small and big, see a direct economic benefit from cycling and cyclists they will invest more in the bike infrastructure... though I am not going to hold my breath for a massive national movement, yet.
Permalink Reply by Jim Adgate on February 24, 2010 at 8:00pm
Hate to throw water on this, but we've got a ways to go. From what I've seen and read from other sources, in terms of the total population that is riding bikes on a more or less full time basis, we might be at 1% (optimistic). As compared to the Europeans, where in some countries (Holland) bike ridership approaches 40%, we are waaaay down the list.

Jim

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