If you love to use your bike for getting around or commuting, you aren’t alone anymore. With the costs and hassle of using a car to get everywhere, more people choose to switch to cycling as their primary mode of transportation every day. However, not all communities are equally kind to their cyclist populations. If you’re looking for a place that is friendly to cyclists, it may take a little research to find your perfect spot. Here are just a few of the things that show how a city is bike-friendly so that you can decide if it’s a good method of transport for you.
Laws Protecting Cyclists
If you want to be a cyclist, especially in a larger urban area, it’s a good idea to check in on its laws surrounding cycling. You can usually tell right away if a city keeps its cyclists in mind once you start looking. Remember that cars should always yield to a cyclist, so the cycling laws should reflect this and protect a cyclist’s right to share the road with vehicles. Don’t bother biking in a city that won’t look out for you.
Bike Traffic Lights
In many of the more bike-friendly cities, you can typically find traffic lights specifically for the bike lanes dotting the major intersections. The presence of these bike traffic lights shows that the city considers the needs of its cyclists as much as its automobile drivers. These lights aren’t just a courtesy; they’re also very important for navigating busier streets and intersections safely, so make sure you keep an eye out for them.
Places To Lock Up
There are plenty of places to park cars in cities, even if it doesn’t always seem like it. However, places to keep your bike safe while you go into a store or restaurant are a little harder to find. If you see that there are a lot of bike racks and places to lock up a bike safely, you know that your city considers the needs of its cyclists. Bike racks can really encourage more people to cycle by making it easier to park and keep them secure.
A Thriving Cyclist Community
One of the key things that show how a city is bike-friendly is if you can find a strong cycling community in the area. It shouldn’t be too difficult to find a community of like-minded cyclists in local social media groups. If you can’t find anything, you might not be in the friendliest city for cyclists. However, you can also consider starting up a cycling community yourself to make your own city take your concerns more seriously.
