Maybe you’ve already seen the annual ratings from People for Bikes, but in case you haven’t, here we go. Lincoln maintained our Network rating of 39 out of 100. Omaha came in at 36. The National average is 30, so it’s not as bad as it looks. The number of cities in the running this year is 2901, which puts us in the 74th percentile. Last year we were in the 77th percentile, but this year 328 more cities have been included. It’s interesting to poke around the website and read what other cities have been doing to improve their scores, and the challenges they face. Some of the factors used to figure the scores are the following:
The new winner at the top of the city ratings this year is Brooklyn, New York, (score 72) nudging out last year’s winner Minneapolis. Among the reasons stated by the interviewees are that “there are always other people doing the same thing”, or safety in numbers; drivers expect to see cyclists. Also, having a city-wide plan rather than street-by-street struggles saves energy. Interestingly, it was noted that as important as good bike infrastructure is, the impact of bike culture and community on getting more people riding is just as important. People want community, so the more clubs and interest groups people can engage in, the more they’ll want to ride. This is an under-rated factor in getting people to ride more, people want to feel like they belong.
Of the middle section of the country, called the Heartland in this report, this is how scoring resulted in middle-sized cities:
Top Five Midsize Heartland Cities:
Grand Forks, ND: 59
Ankeny, IA: 65
La Crosse, WI: 65
Ames, IA: 64
Madison, WI: 61
Looking for more inspiration? The site provides information such as how to start a bike bus with a step-by-step guide. If the news of the day leaves you feeling depleted, find reasons for optimism by reading about the gains different cities have made in becoming more connected. Then go ride your bike, better yet, find some friends who want to do the same thing.