As you may have heard, HGTV FrontDoor recently listed Cleveland as one of The 10 Greatest Cycling Cities in America. Of course, they reference Cle as “the underdog” on the list (aren’t we always the underdog?), citing our Complete and Green Streets ordinance, Metroparks and huge increase in cycling as reasons we made the list.
But, as GreenCityBlueLake points out, Cle is still known mostly for recreational bike trails, and biking is still popularly viewed as a leisurely activity rather than a viable mode in transportation. As GCBL asks, “How do we leverage the big group of leisure riders into a bike-all-the-time culture? What should be the city’s top priorities to encourage a mode-shift to 1% or 2% of trips made by bike?”
Some good questions to ponder.
4 Responses to “Cle: One of the Greatest Cycling Cities in America?”
IndyCA35
The problem with cycling to work here is the weather. Not only is it bad a lot of the year but it’s unpredictable.
mMullins
The cold weather is a cop-out… Minneapolis and NYC are near the top of the list. Getting out and riding is great anytime of the year if you just dress appropriately. Much healthier for you and the environment, too.
Edward Nolan
Cleveland is an easy town to get around in. Pack a few extra items and most weather situations are manageable. I commute to work regularly and have little trouble with cars. Now some of the roads in town could use some work.
ragarcia
I agree, cold weather is a cop-out…I’ve visited at least three cities in Europe (Linkoping and Stockholm in Sweden, plus Amsterdam in Holland) that have cold to really freezing weather and it is amazing how many people still use bicycles to go back and forth to work/grocery shopping/movies/etc.