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Worst Cities to Ride A Bike

Worst Cities to Ride A Bike

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, tens of millions of people have been working from home, which means they don’t have to commute to offices or other workplaces, and also that they may have changed their exercise and recreation habits. 

Cycling has been a major beneficiary of these trends. It’s a great form of exercise, it offers an escape from the home, and it’s a very practical means of transportation. At rush hour bikes move faster than cars on gridlocked streets. Here are America’s worst cities to drive in.

Cycling is also far kinder to the environment than driving, or even using public transportation — which many have been avoiding during the pandemic anyway. These are 30 easy ways to be more environmentally friendly.

24/7 Tempo has compiled a list of the worst cities for bike riders. They’re typically mid-sized cities, although many have seen rapid growth in the last couple of decades, and suburban sprawl may be a factor in their rankings. (Our list of the best cities for bike riders includes much larger ones, such as New York and Chicago.) Almost all the worst cities are in the South and West; only one — Chesapeake, Virginia — is on the Eastern Seaboard.

To identify the worst cities for bike riders, 24/7 Tempo reviewed the Bike Scores of the 100 largest cities in the United States from apartment search services company Walkscore. We also considered the percentage of commuters who use a bicycle to travel to work, as well as the total population of each of the cities, using data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2019 American Community Survey. 

Some states fare worse than others in the ranking. North Carolina is almost in a class of its own, with no less than six cities on the list: Durham, Raleigh, Greensboro, Charlotte, Fayetteville, and the first-ranked Winston-Salem. The reason certainly isn’t poverty and lack of resources: North Carolina is home to the Research Triangle and its leading universities. If people and politicians there want to make their cities more bike-friendly, the pandemic could present an opportunity.

Source: Photo by Sergio S. via Yelp

25. Bakersfield, California
> Bike score: 43.7
> Commuters who travel to work by bike: 0.4% — #66 out of 100 largest cities
> Population: 377,917

Source: Photo by Mark M. via Yelp

24. San Bernardino, California
> Bike score: 43.6
> Commuters who travel to work by bike: 0.4% — #66 out of 100 largest cities
> Population: 216,089

Source: aimintang / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images

23. Memphis, Tennessee
> Bike score: 43.6
> Commuters who travel to work by bike: 0.2% — #85 out of 100 largest cities
> Population: 651,932

Source: Photo by Jenny K. via Yelp

22. Henderson, Nevada
> Bike score: 43.5
> Commuters who travel to work by bike: 0.2% — #85 out of 100 largest cities
> Population: 300,116

Source: benedek / iStock via Getty Images

21. Cincinnati, Ohio
> Bike score: 43.3
> Commuters who travel to work by bike: 0.4% — #66 out of 100 largest cities
> Population: 301,394

Source: Photo by Ckr Y. via Yelp

20. Louisville-Jefferson, Kentucky
> Bike score: 43.3
> Commuters who travel to work by bike: 0.4% — #66 out of 100 largest cities
> Population: 617,790

19. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
> Bike score: 43.2
> Commuters who travel to work by bike: 0.1% — #102 out of 100 largest cities
> Population: 643,692

Source: tab1962 / iStock via Getty Images

18. San Diego, California
> Bike score: 43.0
> Commuters who travel to work by bike: 0.8% — #37 out of 100 largest cities
> Population: 1,409,573

Source: AndyKleinPhotography / iStock via Getty Images

17. Jacksonville, Florida
> Bike score: 42.7
> Commuters who travel to work by bike: 0.5% — #62 out of 100 largest cities
> Population: 890,467

Source: visitelpaso / Flickr

16. El Paso, Texas
> Bike score: 42.0
> Commuters who travel to work by bike: 0.2% — #85 out of 100 largest cities
> Population: 679,813

Source: ranchjp / Flickr

15. Des Moines, Iowa
> Bike score: 41.7
> Commuters who travel to work by bike: 0.4% — #66 out of 100 largest cities
> Population: 215,636

Source: skvidal / Flickr

14. Durham, North Carolina
> Bike score: 41.4
> Commuters who travel to work by bike: 0.6% — #50 out of 100 largest cities
> Population: 269,702

Source: Liz W Grogan / iStock via Getty Images

13. Raleigh, North Carolina
> Bike score: 41.3
> Commuters who travel to work by bike: 0.4% — #66 out of 100 largest cities
> Population: 464,485

Source: Photo by Ernie B. via Yelp

12. Chula Vista, California
> Bike score: 41.2
> Commuters who travel to work by bike: 0.2% — #85 out of 100 largest cities
> Population: 268,920

Source: Ronald Hood / iStock via Getty Images

11. Fort Worth, Texas
> Bike score: 41.1
> Commuters who travel to work by bike: 0.2% — #85 out of 100 largest cities
> Population: 874,401

Source: Photo by Vicki P. via Yelp

10. Arlington, Texas
> Bike score: 41.0
> Commuters who travel to work by bike: 0.2% — #85 out of 100 largest cities
> Population: 395,477

Source: usmarshals / Flickr

9. Chesapeake, Virginia
> Bike score: 40.3
> Commuters who travel to work by bike: 0.1% — #102 out of 100 largest cities
> Population: 239,982

Source: Michael Barera / Wikimedia Commons

8. Montgomery, Alabama
> Bike score: 38.3
> Commuters who travel to work by bike: 0.1% — #102 out of 100 largest cities
> Population: 199,783

Source: Photo by Recycles via Yelp

7. Greensboro, North Carolina
> Bike score: 35.2
> Commuters who travel to work by bike: 0.2% — #85 out of 100 largest cities
> Population: 291,303

Source: JSantiagoPhoto / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

6. Kansas City, Missouri
> Bike score: 35.0
> Commuters who travel to work by bike: 0.2% — #85 out of 100 largest cities
> Population: 486,404

Source: liberte2 / Flickr

5. Charlotte, North Carolina
> Bike score: 33.9
> Commuters who travel to work by bike: 0.1% — #102 out of 100 largest cities
> Population: 857,425

Source: Courtesy of Hawley's Bicycle World

4. Fayetteville, North Carolina
> Bike score: 33.2
> Commuters who travel to work by bike: 0.2% — #85 out of 100 largest cities
> Population: 210,432

Source: Photo by Joe W. via Yelp

3. Birmingham, Alabama
> Bike score: 30.7
> Commuters who travel to work by bike: 0.3% — #77 out of 100 largest cities
> Population: 212,297

Source: Photo by Bike the Greenway via Yelp

2. Nashville-Davidson, Tennessee
> Bike score: 29.7
> Commuters who travel to work by bike: 0.2% — #85 out of 100 largest cities
> Population: 663,750

Source: wackyland / Flickr

1. Winston-Salem, North Carolina
> Bike score: 29.2
> Commuters who travel to work by bike: 0.2% — #85 out of 100 largest cities
> Population: 244,115

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