Number two? Portland must not be depressed enough yet.

Communications Department  City Hall

News Release

Contact:  Matt Laible, Communications Department, 612-673-2786

View this release online at www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/newsroom

Minneapolis City Goals: A Safe Place to Call Home . One Minneapolis.Lifelong Learning Second to None. Connected Communities.Enriched Environment. A Premier Destination.

Minneapolis named one of the world’s top biking cities

June 24, 2009 (MINNEAPOLIS) Travel and Leisure magazine has named Minneapolis one of the world’s top biking cities. The magazine chose ten cities worldwide for its list, and just three in the United States. According to the June 2009 issue of Travel and Leisure, Minneapolis is among this elite group of bike-friendly cities in the world because it has built an infrastructure that promotes bicycling for both transportation and recreation.

Because of the bicycling improvements made in Minneapolis in recent years, it’s now the nation’s number two bike-commuting city, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Travel and Leisure refers to Minneapolis as “a case study in policy promoting bicycling as a viable means to get around.” The magazine notes designated street lanes, bike lockers, recreational trails, and winter plowing of bike trails as reasons it placed Minneapolis on its list.

Minneapolis has 83 miles of off-street bicycle paths and 40 miles of streets with dedicated bicycle lanes. Minneapolis has also been awarded the League of American Bicyclists’ Bicycle Friendly Community Award.

The U.S. Census bureau ranks Minneapolis as the number two bicycling city in the country, just behind Portland, in its comparison of how many people bike to work in the nation’s 50 biggest cities. Bicycle commuters help keep down traffic congestion in Minneapolis. Bicycling is a great workout and an environmentally friendly alternative to driving, reducing our dependence on oil and our production of greenhouse gases.

To learn more about bicycling in Minneapolis, visit the City’s bicycling Web page.