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<br />EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER
<br />
<br />February 2, 2006
<br />
<br /> City of Eugene
<br />777 Pearl Street, Room 105
<br />
<br /> Eugene, Oregon 97401-2793
<br /> (541) 682-5010
<br /> (541) 682-5414 (FAX)
<br /> www.eugene-or.gov
<br />
<br />IN THIS WEEK’S EDITION
<br />EUGENE EARNS SPOT ON LIST OF BEST CITIES FOR CYCLING
<br />“HULT PRESENTS” BRINGS FAMED DANCE COMPANY TO EUGENE
<br />LIBRARY HOSTS ALTERNATIVE EDUCATION FAIR
<br />SPEAKER OFFERS LESSONS IN TRANSPORTATION AND LAND USE
<br />“DIVERSITY: FROM IDEA TO PRACTICE”
<br />KICK OFF READIN' IN THE RAIN 2006 WITH BELLYDANCING AND MORE
<br />
<br />AROUND THE CITY
<br />Eugene Earns Spot on List of Best Cities for Cycling
<br />Eugene is one of the top 21 cities in the nation for bicycling, according to Bicycling Magazine. In its
<br />March 2005 issue, now available on newsstands, Bicycling rated more than 250 cities based on
<br />population and “cycling-friendly" statistics such as the numbers of bike lanes and routes, number of bike
<br />racks, city bike projects completed and planned, bike “culture” (number of bike commuters, popular
<br />clubs, cool cycling events, renowned bike shops), climate and geography. The magazine also polled its
<br />readers and surveyed experts at national bicycle groups such as the League of American Bicyclists,
<br />Thunderhead Alliance, and International Mountain Biking Association.
<br />
<br />Eugene was ranked second in cities with populations between 75,000 and 200,000. “The City of Eugene
<br />continues to improve our nationally recognized bicycle system,” said Lee Shoemaker, the City’s bicycle
<br />and pedestrian coordinator. “I can’t think of a better way to experience the Eugene outdoors than by
<br />bicycling to work, school, or just for fun.”
<br />
<br />Portland, Oregon, was ranked as the overall best cycling city in the nation as well as #1 in cities under 1
<br />million in population.
<br />
<br />“The selection of Portland as the country's best city for cycling turned out to be maybe the easiest part of
<br />this process for us,” said Bicycling VP/Editor-In-Chief Steve Madden. “It's been the top U.S. city in each
<br />of our previous three rankings (2001, 1999 and 1995), and cycling has only continued to improve there.
<br />The number of cyclists has tripled over the past ten years, city traffic congestion is down because of it,
<br />and it's the only urban area that's been able to reduce greenhouse gas emissions over the past four
<br />years (which they've done significantly) while national levels have risen 17%."
<br />
<br />Bicycling Magazine’s best cities for cycling are (in ranked order):
<br />?
<br /> Best Cycling City (population 1 million or more): San Diego, Chicago, New York (honorable
<br />mention to Philadelphia and Phoenix).
<br />?
<br /> Best Cycling City (population 500,000 to 1 million): Portland, Denver, Seattle (honorable mention
<br />to San Francisco and Austin, Texas).
<br />?
<br /> Best Cycling City (population 200,000 to 500,000): Madison, Wisc., Tucson, Ariz., Albuquerque,
<br />New Mexico (honorable mention to Minneapolis, Anchorage).
<br />?
<br /> Best Cycling City (population 75,000 to 200,000): Boulder, Colo., Eugene, Ann Arbor, Mich.
<br />(honorable mention to Chattanooga, Tenn., Cambridge, Mass.).
<br />?
<br /> Best Small Town for Cycling: Davis, Calif.
<br />?
<br /> The worst cities for cycling: Atlanta, Houston, and Boston.
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<br />EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 1
<br />March 3, 2006
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