What the best city to live in for bicycling everywhere instead of driving?

Question

What the best city to live in for bicycling everywhere instead of driving?

Answer 1

Mannville, Alberta, Canada.

Population 200.

No highway, no traffic, no stoplights.

You can lie down in the middle of the main road for a week, and no one will ever run over you.

You can cycle across town with a Schwinn cruiser at a relaxed pace in 8 minutes. If you have any other bike, you will be the fastest cyclist in the whole Buffalo county.

If you go faster than the 50 kph speed limit, do not worry any. The police station is in Vermilion, and that is far, far away in the next township.

If your bike breaks, you can walk around just fine too, but everyone will figure out who you are an offer a ride anyhow.

You do not need a bike lock. Even if your wallet falls out of your pocket, a Mannville citizen will kindly drop it off with Ethyl at the 'phone museum.

In the cold winter, you will not be on your bike long enough to get frost bite, unless you decide to ride to the next town.

If you do that, you will lose consciousness in the cold.

But, a local farmer will find you on the (only) road and take you home to nurse you back to health. There you will assuredly eat like a king, and be there long enough to fall in love with his daughter and write a novel, and when spring comes you can ride back to town with your bride on the handlebars for the wedding at the local livestock barn.

Then you can drive to the next town in the warmer weather.

(A good title for your novel will be "the best city to live in for bicycling everywhere instead of driving". 'Best make Spud the protagonist, as he can be mean spirited, especially with you marrying his sister.)

Answer 2

Try Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. If you live in the inner Suburbs it will be easier for ouand there are some great trails.

Answer 3

I have heard that Portland, OR is the most bike friendly city in the US.

Answer 4

Claremont California . They have great bike paths and beautiful foothills  Very good dealerships who are dedicated to the sport and recreation.

Answer 5

Best Cities For Cycling: Still The Greatest

These five cities remain America's top places for cycling

By Brian Fiske

http://www.bicycling.com/article/0,6610,...

Portland, Oregon

What perennially puts Portland atop our list is that you don't need to know anything about bike lanes or city planning to see that it is a haven for cyclists. Just hang out in a coffee shop and look out the window: Bikes and riders of all stripes are everywhere. City support is important, too. In response to six fatal car-bike crashes last year, Portland rushed approval of 14 bike boxes--painted areas in front of cars at red lights that give bikes priority--at high-risk intersections, among other safety measures.

Seattle

The city council has unabashedly stated that its goal is to unseat Portland as the best U.S. city for cycling. Its 10-year, $240 million bike master plan, passed by a unanimous council vote last fall, may just get it there. Among the objectives: tripling the number of journeys made by bike and adding 450 miles of bike paths.

Chicago

Richard Daley, the mayor for the past 19 years and a dedicated roadie, has ushered in a bicycle renaissance, with a growing network of bike lanes, a bike station (pictured) with valet bike parking, showers and indoor bike racks. Plus, the city council recently outlawed dooring. Next up: The new downtown Chicago Criterium debuts in July.

San Francisco

All bike infrastructure projects here have been halted since 2006, when two "concerned" groups sued the city for not putting plans through the environmental impact review process. A judge ruled that the review needed to happen, and the city may not get back on track until 2010. But here's why San Fran rules: The local bike culture has stood strong, and the number of cyclists increased by 15 percent last year alone.

Boulder, Colorado

The most physically fit city in the most physically fit state is an outdoor paradise. No surprise there. Fourteen percent of all trips here are now taken by bike--an almost European figure. Perhaps even more telling is that Boulder is raising the next generation of cyclists: The city's Safe Routes to School program has had such an impact locally that one school reports that 75 percent of its students now bike or walk to school.