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Seattle tops list of most bike-friendly cities

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SEATTLE, Wash. — Seattle tops the list when it comes to the United States’ most bike-friendly cities, according to a recent Zillow analysis.

Cities were ranked on the percentage of commuters in the city that biked to work and the amount of time it took them to get to work on their bike.

Portland and San Francisco ranked second and third.

Analysts measured the number of miles of protected bike lanes in the city and tallied up the number of rental listings that mentioned bike storage.

Analysts say that there were 42 cyclists per every 1,000 commuters in Seattle.

They determined that the median travel time for commuters on bikes was 27 minutes.

The median commute time via public transportation in Seattle is 32 minutes, according to the analysts. The median travel time for commuters driving personal vehicles in the city is 22 minutes.

Analysts measured about seven miles of protected bike lanes and about 23 mentions of bike storage per 1,000 rental listings.

Cities at the top of the list are known to be some of the least affordable, analyst say, prioritizing density and protected lanes for cyclists.

Additionally, cities at the top of the list likely have regulations that discourage housing developments. In turn, this drives up rent.

 

City

Cyclists per 1,000 Commuters

Median Commute Time via Bike

Mentions of Bike Storage per 1,000 Rental Listings

Miles of Protected Bike Lanes

 

Seattle, WA

42

27

23

7

 

Portland, OR

68

22

124

4

 

San Francisco, CA

36

22

45

11

 

Washington, DC

39

22

40

6

 

Minneapolis, MN

29

22

35

6

 

Chicago, IL

13

22

46

22

 

New York, NY

9

22

52

55

 

Boston, MA

18

22

13

1

 

Philadelphia, PA

16

22

12

0.24

 

Long Beach, CA

8

22

6

2