Ride On
Downtown Austin pedals past others as most bikeable in the country
Austinites love their bikes, and it's a good thing, considering we've got one of the most bikeable downtowns in the U.S., according to Redfin.
The real estate brokerage assigned Bike Score to cities with a population of at least 500,000 based on road connectivity, availability of bike lanes, prevalence of hills, and number of regular bike commuters. Downtown scored 93 out of 100, nabbing the No. 3 spot.
Redfin credits the City of Austin and its Active Transportation Division for downtown's bikeability. The division is tasked with creating a safer network of bikeable (and walkable) corridors, so that biking is a convenient and safe option for Austinites — especially commuters.
"Building protected bike paths downtown has been great for Austin. Not only has it made getting around downtown safer and quicker for cyclists, but the protected paths have moved them out of harm's way and relieved traffic congestion. Having a bikeable downtown has made everything better in Austin," Mayor Steve Adler told Redfin.
Redfin says our growing millennial population is one of the reasons that Austin's bikeability is so notable. As living expenses continue to rise, younger Austinites are looking to cut down on transportation costs by biking when possible.
"I’ve worked with three clients in the past two weeks who do not own a car and rely on biking and walking to get to work and other parts of the city," said Redfin agent Andrew Vallejo. "Our downtown corridor is so bike-friendly that it’s possible for people to easily get to their jobs every day, especially if they live in a neighborhood near downtown like Zilker or East Austin."
Downtown and nearby 'hoods get major kudos for being bikeable, but the rest of the city has some catching up to do. Austin as a whole earned a Bike Score of only 52.