Fort Collins Named the Most Bike-Friendly City in America
From having bike-to-work days, designated paths and lanes, and even a bike share program, the city of Fort Collins makes many efforts to embrace the biking culture. Between the work the city has done to improve conditions for those riding on two-wheels, and the avid cyclists themselves, Fort Collins, who is no stranger to landing itself on 'best of' lists, has recently earned the top spot for being the Most Bike-Friendly City in America, according to PeopleForBikes.org. Not only does riding bikes make people happier, healthier, richer, and more connected to their communities, but great things happen for the towns too, even for people who never ride. This includes things like less pollution, higher-capacity roadways, better mass transit, lower health care premiums, and local economies that have more money to invest in themselves.
PeopleForBikes launched a new system called PlacesForBikes, that they used in order to determine which cities around the country are the best for bicyclists. The PlacesForBikes city rating score is based on five factors: Ridership, Safety, Network, Reach and Acceleration. The new system is transparent and fully data driven, meaning they can look at what's working and what's not in different communities, and further use that information to make improvements. Fort Collins wasn't the only Colorado city to earning a high ranking — Boulder also landed on list at number 3! You can get the full breakdown and methodology by clicking here.