WASHINGTON — Once again, a bicycling magazine has picked D.C. as one of the best cities in the country to ride a bike.
This year’s survey of cities by Bicycling puts Washington at No. 9, citing historical factors such as the longtime establishment of Capital BikeShare and the fact that D.C. was one of the first cities to block off bike lanes with curbs. Other attributes include the miles of bicycle lanes and dedicated paths per square mile; the number of people per bike-share bike, and the number of bike-friendly businesses in the city.
The magazine also noted new developments such as compulsory elementary school classes on bike riding, safety and maintenance.
The Bicycling entry for Washington points out that biking is still much easier in the western half of the city than the eastern, but that projects such as the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail Extension will help fix that
Chicago came out on top of this year’s rankings. D.C. slipped in the rankings from number 5 in the previous Bicycling list, in 2014.
Bicycling also has a guide to biking in the District.
