Salt Lake City ranked ninth most bike friendly city in U.S.
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A recent study has ranked Salt Lake City as the ninth most bike-friendly city in the U.S.
Why it matters: Salt Lake City is home to a growing number of environment-conscious cyclists who ride to work and for leisure.
Details: The analysis, by real estate data company Anytime Estimate, rated the 50 most populous U.S. cities by measuring the percentage of workers commuting by bike, the number of bike shops and bike trails in the area, transit safety and six other metrics. The report found:
- Less than 1% of Salt Lake City workers commute to work by bike.
- The city contains about three bike shops per 100,000 residents.
- Residents have access to 82% more bike trails per 100,000 residents than the average city in the study.
Zoom out: Portland ranked No. 1. Denver, Boston and Minneapolis also ranked ahead of Salt Lake City.
What the report said: "Whether it's long-standing bike benchmarks such as Portland or lesser-known cycling scenes like Minneapolis or Salt Lake City, our top 15 cities pedal at the perfect cadence."
Taylor Anderson, co-founder of Sweet Streets Salt Lake City, said the city has a great biking culture and deserved to be ranked high.
Yes, but: Anderson added it still has a long way to go in terms of making roads safer for cyclists. One of his biggest concerns is state routes that cut through the city and are difficult to cross safely like 700 E and State Street.
- "They are literal highways that are not safe to cross," he told Axios. "They're actually like some of the most dangerous places to be."
Context: Last month, the Salt Lake City Council voted to lower speed limits from 25 mph to 20 mph on the majority of city-owned streets, The Salt Lake Tribune reported.