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The Sacramento Business Journal reports that Sacramento ranks fourth in the U.S. and first in California for bicycle commuting among the 70 largest cities.
“I think the city has been good about making conditions better for cyclists,” he said, noting a number of changes the city made last year in midtown.
Several streets, including P, Q, 19th and 21st, went from three lanes to two with bike lanes. The city also converted a number of parking meters to bike racks.
Remind me where midtown is again?
At any rate, we are very fortunate to have the American River Parkway (great article here, btw) and other trails that help make bicycling easier and safer in Sacramento. I do think that employers can make it easier to commute by bicycle (many have already, I know) by providing secure bike lockers and storage areas for equipment. A lot of bicycle commuting has to do with the type of job you have, too.
What have your experiences been with bicycle commuting? When HeyMeg wrote about this topic in 2007, safety was a big concern. Still a major issue? Access to trails from outlying cities?
4 Comments | Leave a comment
Bicycle commuting isn’t a viable option for me. I’d like to do more errands by bicycle, but Fair Oaks avenue where I live has horrible access for pedestrians and bicycles.
Don’t get me started on taxpayer dollars spent on ADA acces to sidewalk that dead end 50 yards down the street and start up again 3 blocks away…
January 15th, 2010 at 8:16 am
What would help increase the percentage of bicycle commuters are facilities at employment centers that make it easy to bike commute, including secure bike lockers, shower facilities, etc. For many, the challenge isn’t getting there, it’s how you look (and smell) when you get there.
The topography and general weather conditions allow for alternative modes like bike and ped, and the infill development we’ve seen of late definitely enhances the options.
Good info here: http://www.sacog.org/bikeinfo/bikeped.cfm
I’m over in Germany right now on business, and tons of people bike to the train stations, let their bikes sit out all day with the flimsiest of locks and gathering snow on their seats, so naturally a lot of it is getting out of our own personal comfort zones too, ja.
January 17th, 2010 at 1:04 pm
RTOI: Sorry for reiterating some of your key points. Did you add in the info about employers after I commented? I could swear that was not there before.
January 18th, 2010 at 8:53 pm
No, RunnerGirl, I did not edit the post. And believe me, I was biting my tongue, too!
Thanks for commenting though.
January 19th, 2010 at 5:57 am
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