Bicycling in Minneapolis on the rise

The first ever City of Minneapolis Bicycle Account was released today. The report showed recently completed bicycle infrastructure projects and also outlayed future projects. The report also revealed a lot of data on bicycling in the city.  Some of the more notable numbers:

• 47% increase in bicyclists counted annually from 2007 to 2011 with a 25% increase from 2010 to 2011.
• On-street bike lanes increased by 70% or 35 miles in the past year, bringing Minneapolis' total to 167 miles.
• The top three bicycling locations are in the University of Minnesota area. The top location? The Washington Avenue Bridge with 6,850 bicycles per day
• In spite of the increase in biking and bike lanes, the bicycle crash rate has steadily declined since 1993. At that time there were 3,000 bike commuters and 298 bicycle-motorized vehicle crashes. In 2010, there were 15 less crashes despite there being 7,000 bicyclists, more than double the 1993 number. 

"I'm proud of what we've accomplished but we know we have a long road ahead of us," Mayor R.T. Rybak wrote. "Minneapolis is on the right path, and this account will be an important benchmark for our progress toward our goals."