WALKING ACCOUNTS FOR seven times more travel than biking in the top 100 cities across the United States.
On Two Feet: Measuring Walking & Biking in U.S. Cities, a new report from StreetLight, estimates that 151 pedestrian miles are traveled per person annually compared with 23 bicycle miles.
“Biking remains a far more niche activity than walking, likely due to limited safe and accessible infrastructure,” according to the report. “Cities of all sizes can be incubators for active transportation, even in otherwise sprawling and vehicle-centric regions,” as top cities for biking and walking vary greatly in population size.
Jersey City, New Jersey, boasts the strongest bicycle density after New York City with almost 8,000 bicycle miles traveled annually per square mile – almost three times San Francisco’s figure, which ranked third. Boise, Idaho is the most notable smaller-city bicycle leader, ranking second nationally for bike miles per capita despite a population of about 233,000.
Only three cities ranked in the top 10 for both per-capita walking and biking: New York, New Orleans, and Orlando. In addition to ranking third in bicycle miles, New Orleans ranked fourth for pedestrian miles per capital with 386 miles.
The 25-page report, which also identifies the busiest bike and pedestrian facilities by region, is available to download here.