In late January, the Washington, D.C.-based Alliance for Biking and Walking issued its 2010 Benchmarking Report, an analysis of data on bicycling and walking in all 50 states and the 51 largest U.S. cities.
The report ranks states by the percentage of their populations that bike and walk to work regularly. Among states with the highest incidence of bike commuting, Wisconsin is 11th, Minnesota 12th, Illinois 18th, Iowa 24th and Michigan 27th. The list of states with the highest percentage of people walking to work include Iowa 12th, Wisconsin 17th, Minnesota 22nd, Illinois 23rd and Michigan 33rd.
In Oregon, ranked highest for its “bicycle to work mode share,” bike commuting still only accounts for 1.9 percent of total daily transportation. In Portland, where bike commuters are most prevalent, just 3.9 percent of commuters bike. Minneapolis bike commuters are second only to the number in Portland. Chicago ranks 12th, Milwaukee 25th and Detroit 32nd.
Minneapolis rounds out the top 10 cities where people are more apt to walk to work. Chicago is 11th, Milwaukee 13th and Detroit 24th.
The report also includes state-by-state bicycle and pedestrian safety rankings. In this area, Minnesota comes in eighth, Wisconsin 14th, Illinois 15th, Iowa 32nd and Michigan 34th. As states safe for pedestrians go, Iowa jumps up to sixth, Minnesota slips to 10th, Wisconsin remains 14th, Illinois 25th and Michigan 32nd.
A different picture emerges for particular cities where cyclists and pedestrians are killed in traffic accidents at disproportionately higher rates. According to the report, 25 percent of traffic fatalities in U.S. cities are pedestrians and 3 percent are cyclists. In Chicago and Detroit, 28.5 percent of those killed in traffic tend to be on foot. In Milwaukee, 36.6 percent of traffic deaths are pedestrians.
And while 18 percent of Minneapolis traffic deaths are pedestrians, less than the national average, 4.9 percent of the victims were cyclists, which is above the U.S. rate.
Nevertheless, the report ranks among the safest cities for cyclists are Minneapolis fourth, Milwaukee sixth, Chicago 14th, and Detroit 43rd.
Much more information is included in the 2010 Benchmarking Report, which can be read and downloaded at peoplepoweredmovement.org.
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3/31/10 - 9:40PM