Bike friendly/safe places to live

dont feel safe AT all. We have just lost several people locally as weel, one in a BIKE LANE... Thus why I am trying to talk the wife into moving to Copenhagen... greatest bike town in the world with more bike traffic then cars..

I have recently moved from Tulsa to a small town in Oklahoma.  Tulsa didn't seem very cyclist friendly.  I received plenty of honking, one-finger waves, yelling etc.  My friends there have been hit with drinks, food, and anything else that could be thrown out the window.

Where I live now, I can do a 20 mile ride and maybe be passed by 4 cars.  Every one of those cars will wave, slow down, and give a wide berth when they pass.  When riding in town, I always get waved through the stops signs by the motorists.  I have yet to see or hear about anyone getting yelled at or run off of the road by any of our cycling club members.   I absolutely love the community in which I get to ride now, and feel incredibly blessed.

Edited by ray6foot7 2009-08-04 10:28 AM

My town is not very safe (Las Vegas).  People are not very observant of riders and there are few bike lanes and trials.

When I lived in Denver for 11 years, they had TONS of bike paths.  I could get anywhere in the city and stay 90% on a trail in most cases and the drivers were far more aware of riders.

Edited by Aikidoman 2009-08-04 10:59 AM

I would consider Williamsburg, VA a very bike friendly town.  Lots of bike lanes, wide roads, and mostly observant populace.  The only bad side are the cyclists that break the rules, inciting a little anger at cyclists every once in a while. 

San Diego in general,  North County (Carlsbad, Encinitas, Solana Beach, etc.) specifically ... GREAT place to be a cyclist!!

And the cost of living is cheap, too!

I also live out in the country and love how polite people are.  We're near Rochester, MN and in general, people are pretty accepting of bikes here.  Out in the corn, folks are super about giving us enough room, being nice and waving.  Even farmers on their tractors wave.  I love living in the country!

I've lived in five different places since I have been a cyclist--ranging from Metro Boston to the sticks of TX and SD.  I think I have felt equally safe/unsafe in all of them.  So, to me location isn't all that important a factor.  Every location had good and bad places to ride...the trick was to know where they were.

Of places I have ridden that I haven't actually LIVED in...probably felt the safest in Colorado...even safer than any of my "lived at" locations.  However...might not have a large enough sample size there.  AZ seemed pretty good too.

I've not had any problems in central PA.

I honestly think it's how and when you ride.  I live in south Louisiana, very few shoulders on the roads and no bike lanes/paths to speak of.  I generally ride alone and find that motorists are more forgiving when it's one or two people rather than a 20-30 pack group ride.  When I do ride with another person I keep very aware of what is coming up behind us and will move to single file for the car to pass.  I know it is a right to ride two abreast but it isn't hard to go single file for a couple of seconds and I like to think the motorist appreciates it.  I also ride very early in the morning before heavy traffic and try to pick my route on less traveled roads.

x2 - in my 3 years riding here I've only been yelled at once (and those people were in a car that had out-of-province plates).

Global did not mention we also have a TdF rider who lives and trains here (for the most part) as well as our national and Olympic triathletes - the exposure of cycling in this city is huge. There are bling bikes everywhere!

NOT Florida...

I live in the Portland, OR metro area and for the most part it is a very bike friendly community. The urban areas have lots of bike lanes and bike paths. (I bike to and from work 3ish times per week).  When riding out in the rural areas of the county, folks are very considerate for the most part.

My pet peeve is groups of bikes who ride 2-3 abreast when there is no bike lane or shoulder. I don't blame the car drivers for getting pissed off at that. I get pissed off at that.

This user's post has been ignored.

Austin Texas.

May have something to do with some local guy who won some French bike race a few times.

You know, it's strange.  There are so many bike lanes and bike-friendly aspects, but the transplants from up in the metro northeast and rednecks make it a dangerous place to ride.  I think I saw that we had the most cyclists killed in 2007, and we were slightly ahead of CA that has a population double ours. 

I think there's also something to be said about the fact that you can ride year-round here.  Maybe that opens up more possibility of more people getting hit by a car.

Grand Island, NY is a utopia for cycling. You can ride the outer roads of the Island that have very little traffic or cross-traffic. You can do the 20 mile loop without having to stop at a single light or stop sign. The roads are very smooth and when you do get passed by a car the drivers, for the most part, will go way around you into the opposite lane to give you all the room you need.

I live in the western suburbs of Chicago, and I don't think it's safe nor bike friendly at all. Most of the roads I ride on have lots of car/truck traffic, busy intersections, very little (if any) shoulder, and no dedicated bike lanes. I've gotten used to it...for the most part. There are a few bike paths in the vicinity...but they're too short and crowded to get any kind of training ride in...and lots of them are crushed limestone, which I won't ride on. And I refuse to load up my bike in the car and drive somewhere to ride...takes too long to get where the "good" riding is, and I would likely lose my motivation to ride by the time I got there.

Sure, the city of Chicago has many miles of bike lanes...but I don't live in the city, nor do I care to ride in the city. Heck, I avoid driving into the city at all costs...I sure as heck have no desire to ride my bike there! And besides that, I'd have to ride through some fairly shady 'hoods in order to get there...so definitely NOT safe.

When we are ready to retire, we will certainly opt for a bike-friendly location.

Edited by nscrbug 2009-08-04 7:40 PM