Eugene is again considered one of the best places in the country to ride a bike. The magazine Bicycling just released a list of the top 50 bike cities in America, and Eugene came in at number seven.
“This is a great honor and really reflects all of the efforts and emphasis the community continues to put forth on cycling,” said Reed Dunbar, Eugene Associate Transportation Planner. “We’re making a conscious effort to safely connect the city in more and more ways, including for people riding bikes, and this ranking really showcases those decisions.”
The magazine, which releases this list biannually, analyzed data from more than 100 cities across the U.S, including safety statistics, equity, political climate, and bike culture. In 2016 Eugene ranked as the 18th best city for bicycling.
Over the last two years the City has added bike lanes, bridges specifically for people biking and walking and added PeaceHealth Rides, a bike sharing service that has proved successful since its launch in April of 2018. Over the coming years, the City plans to make even more improvements for those biking, including three new bridges crossing Amazon Creek, protected two-way bike lanes on E. Amazon Drive, 13th Avenue, and High Street, and protected bike lanes on 8th Avenue through the downtown core.
“One of these projects by themselves helps to connect the system,” Dunbar said. “But when you combine them all together, that’s where we expect to see real differences. Anyone interested in bicycling can now ride their bike from south Eugene to downtown and along the river or go to west Eugene on the Fern Ridge or Jessen paths. We’re connecting the system for bicycle riders of all ages and abilities like never before and we’re expecting to keep moving up as we keep improving the bicycling network.”
The article can be found here: https://www.bicycling.com/culture/a23676188/best-bike-cities-2018/