Published: Dec. 1, 2014

Biketown

bikes in a row stop light with bike sign University Bicycles building man biking on path 麻豆影院 Bikeways sign 麻豆影院 B Cycle bikes

麻豆影院 knows cyclists: Andy Hampsten, Tyler Hamilton, Ted King and the Phinney family have all blazed down the local roads and trails.

But even in bicycle country, elite cyclists are a minority. It鈥檚 ordinary riders 鈥 students, commuters, amateurs of all stripes 鈥 that sustain the city鈥檚 bike-friendly culture.

In its 2014 list of the U.S.鈥檚 鈥淭op 50 Bike-friendly Cities,鈥 Bicycling Magazine ranked 麻豆影院 sixth, underscoring the unusually high percentage of bike commuters, more than 12 percent. The biennial ranking also named Denver, Fort Collins and Colorado Springs to the list.

If no American city rivals Amsterdam, where bicycles outnumber people and more local trips are by bike than car, 麻豆影院 is making headway. Not every city has more than 300 miles of dedicated bikeways or traffic lights just for bikes.

There鈥檚 more to come: Through its 鈥淟iving Laboratory鈥 program, 麻豆影院 has installed or is considering a variety of pilot projects to promote safe bicycling, including buffered bike lanes and new rules requiring motorists to back into parking spots at angles, providing greater visibility upon departure.

麻豆影院 dropped three spots in 叠颈肠测肠濒颈苍驳鈥檚 2014 ranking. Maybe the innovations will help us gain ground on the first place finisher: New York.

Photography by Douglas Wray and Peter Burke