Brooklyn Bikes Best

According to the non-profit organization PeopleForBikes, Brooklyn is one of the best biking areas in all of the United States’ biggest cities. The group gives stars based on five criteria: ridership, safety, network, acceleration and reach.

Brooklyn scored a solid 3.3 stars out of a maximum achievable 5, coming out 7th on the overall list, right between Manhattan, which scored 3.4 and Queens, which scored 3.1.

The two cities with the best scores were both in Colorado; Boulder which achieved a top score of 3.7 stars, and Fort Collins, which received 3.6 stars.

Brooklyn’s scores in each category were as follows:

Ridership is an estimate of how many and how often people are riding bikes. Brooklyn earned 2.8 out of 5 in this category.
Safety includes injuries and fatalities from car crashes to people biking, walking and driving. Brooklyn earned 2.8 stars in this category.
Network is how people are connected to their destinations using comfortable bike routes. Brooklyn got 2.9 for this.
Reach is a measure of how consistently a community’s bike network serves everyone in that community. Brooklyn was awarded 2.5 out of 5 stars here.
Acceleration rates how fast a community is improving its biking infrastructure and getting people up and on their bikes. Brooklyn rates a 2.9 in this category.

Tim Blumenthal, President of PeopleForBikes, said that the ratings help make biking better for everyone by alerting us to where we are doing well and where we can improve.

“Providing annual ratings helps cities make quick, cost-effective progress toward building a network where people of all ages and bicycling abilities can ride safely and easily to destinations all around town,” said Blumenthal.

PeopleForBikes also gives city planners tips on how to get their biking scores to rise. Some suggestions that might make include: designating city-wide “bike-to-work” days (or sometimes weeks); installing shower facilities or bike parking at businesses; creating continuous school biking programs; lowering speed limits in residential areas down to 20 mph or even less; and adding comfortable bike lanes to main arteries in cities.

The following are the county’s best cities for biking:

1. Boulder, Colorado
2. Fort Collins, Colorado
3. Eugene, Oregon
4. Manhattan, New York
5. Arlington, Virginia
6. Portland, Oregon
7. Brooklyn, New York
8. Lawrence, Kansas
9. Minneapolis, Minnesota
10. Madison, Wisconsin