Thanks to the folks at uwishunu for sharing this exciting news about Philly’s two-wheelin’ stats!
According to the Bicycle Coalition’s new “Mode Shift” report, Philadelphia’s cycling community has grown to one of the highest rates in the U.S. Here’s a brief breakdown from the summary on how we measure up:
*Per capita, Philadelphia has twice as many commuters who travel by bike than any other large U.S. city (Chicago is next-best)
*From 2000 – 2009, bicycle commuting increased 151 percent in Philadelphia.
*The Center City and South Philly neighborhoods have some of the highest rates of neighborhood cycling and rank among the top 25 of 2,100 census neighborhoods located throughout the country.
*Philadelphia has more female cyclists, less sidewalk riding and more helmet use than streets without bike lanes.
*Among the country’s 70 largest cities, Philly placed 9th in the top ten Bike Commuting Cities (according to a 2009 American Community Survey). The same survey ranked Philly 8th out of the country’s 70 largest cities in number of female cycling commuters.
The report also discusses better bicycling behavior that results from bike lanes, and the impressive increase of bikes counted from 1990 to 2010 by BCGP’s dedicated volunteers. The number of bikes counted per hour rose by 17 percent from 2009 to 2010, 127 percent from 2005 to 2010, and 361 percent from 1990 to 2010. The BCGP’s research also found that as the streets in Philly become more bike-friendly, the number of female cyclists increases. Therefore, the steady increase of female cyclists that the Coalition noted throughout its research indicates the City’s work to re-pave streets and add more bike lanes.
You can read the full “Mode Shift” report here, and read even more about Philly’s biking scene on the BCGP’s website. May is bike month, meaning that there are plenty of bike happenings going on throughout the city. Sign up for the Commuter Challenge, go on a Bike Mural Tour, honor fallen cyclists in the Ride of Silence, Bike to Work on May 20th, and much much more. Plus, stay tune for GRID’s July Beer & Bikes issue!
