Eugene Earns Spot on List of Best Cities for Cycling

Eugene is one of the top 21 cities in the nation for bicycling, according to Bicycling Magazine. In its March 2006 issue, now available on newsstands, Bicycling rated more than 250 cities based on population and "cycling-friendly" statistics such as the numbers of bike lanes and routes, number of bike racks, city bike projects completed and planned, bike "culture" (number of bike commuters, popular clubs, cool cycling events, renowned bike shops), climate and geography. The magazine also polled its readers and surveyed experts at national bicycle groups such as the League of American Bicyclists, Thunderhead Alliance, and International Mountain Biking Association.

Eugene was ranked second in cities with populations between 75,000 and 200,000. The City of Eugene continues to improve our nationally recognized bicycle system, said Lee Shoemaker, the City's bicycle and pedestrian coordinator. I can't think of a better way to experience the Eugene outdoors than by bicycling to work, school, or just for fun.

Portland, Oregon, was ranked as the overall best cycling city in the nation as well as #1 in cities under 1 million in population.

The selection of Portland as the country's best city for cycling turned out to be maybe the easiest part of this process for us, said Bicycling VP/Editor-In-Chief Steve Madden. It's been the top U.S. city in each of our previous three rankings (2001, 1999 and 1995), and cycling has only continued to improve there. The number of cyclists has tripled over the past ten years, city traffic congestion is down because of it, and it's the only urban area that's been able to reduce greenhouse gas emissions over the past four years (which they've done significantly) while national levels have risen 17%."

Bicycling Magazine's best cities for cycling are (in ranked order):
Best Cycling City (population 1 million or more): San Diego, Chicago, New York (honorable mention to Philadelphia and Phoenix).

Best Cycling City (population 500,000 to 1 million): Portland, Denver, Seattle (honorable mention to San Francisco and Austin, Texas).

Best Cycling City (population 200,000 to 500,000): Madison, Wisc., Tucson, Ariz., Albuquerque, New Mexico (honorable mention to Minneapolis, Anchorage).

Best Cycling City (population 75,000 to 200,000): Boulder, Colo., Eugene, Ann Arbor, Mich. (honorable mention to Chattanooga, Tenn., Cambridge, Mass.).

Best Small Town for Cycling: Davis, Calif.

 
The worst cities for cycling:
Atlanta, Houston, and Boston.

For more information, contact Lee Shoemaker at Public Works Engineering, 682-5471.

From: City of Eugene Web Page    www.eugene-or.gov
Created: 02/07/2006 Modified: 03/09/2006