Cleveland inches up in national bike rankings as projects take shape
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Cleveland is slightly above average when it comes to biking infrastructure — but that could change in the coming years.
Why it matters: The city and region have invested heavily in transportation alternatives like biking, but it hasn't fully paid off yet, according to a new report.
Pedaling the news: Each year, nonprofit PeopleForBikes rates thousands of U.S. cities in its Best Places to Bike rankings.
How it works: Cities are scored on a scale of 0-100 based on "low-stress" access to residential areas, jobs and schools, basic needs, recreation, shopping and major transit hubs.
Zoom in: Cleveland earned a score of 40, up from 37 last year and in the 68th percentile nationally.
- The city scored well for accessibility to major shopping centers and parks, but earned low marks for access to major transit hubs, grocery stores and hospitals.
Zoom out: Cleveland ranked No. 37 out of 87 ranked cities in Ohio.
- Several other Northeast Ohio cities fared better, with Oberlin (No. 2), Lorain (5), Shaker Heights (11), Stow (15), Willoughby (17), Cuyahoga Falls (18) and Avon Lake (19) placing in the state's top 20.
Yes, but: As a whole, Ohio cities are lacking — none scored an 80 or higher, which PeopleForBikes considers a "high" rating.
- Our best is the small city of St. Mary's near the Indiana border, No. 31 in the country.
- Just five Ohio cities are ranked in the top 300.
The big picture: Nationwide, people want to bike more, and communities are beginning to listen.
- Cleveland has multiple initiatives aimed at improving bike infrastructure, such as Cleveland Moves, a plan to build 50 miles of "high comfort" bike ways in three years, and downtown's nearly $25 million Superior Midway bike lane project.
- Suburbs like Shaker Heights, Cleveland Heights and Lakewood also have major, bike-friendly projects in the works.