Alexandria climbed into the top 25 best biking cities, according to the editors of Bicycling magazine.
“We determined that the best cities are the ones that don’t cater to one specific type of rider—be it the daily commuter or competitive roadie,” according to Bicycling. “The ones that top our list have built systems and a riding culture that benefits everyone—from the kid who rides to school to the retiree who takes a weekend trip to the grocery store.”
Alexandria has nearly 50 miles of bike lanes and trails, including dedicated lanes and shared lanes on major thoroughfares. (For a map of the Alexandria area bike lanes, paths and trails, click here.)
Alexandria ranked 25th on the list. The city ranked 34th in 2016. The rankings are bi-annual.
“Like Arlington and D.C., Alexandria has a good existing trail network that can move commuters into the city. But first- and last-mile connections leave something to be desired. And getting to and from places that aren’t served by this network means mostly riding in traditional bike lanes—just paint, few buffers and even fewer physical barriers,” Bicycling magazine noted. However, the city received accolades for reducing speed limits, narrowing lanes and adding speed cushions.
Alexandria Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory committee chair Jim Durham told Bicycling magazine the focus over the next few years will be “on creating more neighborhood greenways to close gaps in the bike infrastructure.” However, Bicycling magazine said “to really bump this city up in this list, they’re going to need to get serious about building protected lanes too.”
The best biking city in America was Seattle; it was followed by San Francisco; Fort Collins, Colorado; Minneapolis and Portland, Oregon.
Nearby Washington, DC ranked 11th. Arlington ranked 17th.
