Comparing Pikes Peak region People for Bikes city ratings
Improving Bike-Friendliness in the Pikes Peak Region
Bike-friendly cities are increasingly recognized as essential for community health, environmental sustainability, and economic vitality. PeopleForBikes’ City Ratings continue to provide valuable insights into the bike-friendliness of cities across the United States. Let’s explore the 2024 ratings for Colorado Springs and our neighboring city, Manitou Springs.
Colorado Springs: Potential for Improvement
The City of Colorado Springs earned a score of 40 in the recently released PeopleForBikes’ 2024 City Ratings. This score ranks Colorado Springs 366 of 1,733 U.S. cities and 18 of 95 Colorado cities. While a score of 40 indicates room for improvement, it also highlights areas of strength.
According to a recent article by Streetsblog USA, cities that reach a score of 50 or higher on PeopleForBikes’ SPRINT rating system are considered to have “tipped the point” towards becoming truly bikeable communities. This tipping point is significant because it creates a positive feedback loop: more people cycling leads to advocacy for better infrastructure, which in turn encourages even more people to ride.
While Colorado Springs’ score of 40 doesn’t quite reach that threshold yet, it’s a positive sign. The PeopleForBikes website offers valuable resources for residents and city officials who want to enhance cycling infrastructure and advocacy efforts in Colorado Springs.
The report dives deeper, providing more granular scores in six key categories:
- People (39 out of 100): This category assesses access to frequently visited destinations by residents.
- Opportunity (37 out of 100): This score reflects how easy it is to commute to work and schools by bike.
- Core Services (28 out of 100): This category examines accessibility to essential destinations like grocery stores and hospitals.
- Recreation (51 out of 100): This score indicates how easy it is to get to parks and trails by bike.
- Retail (51 out of 100): This score reflects how easy it is to access shopping centers by bike.
- Transit (40 out of 100): This category assesses access to major transit hubs using a bicycle.
According to the detailed breakdown, Colorado Springs has strong points in accessibility for both recreation (51) and retail (51), suggesting a well-developed network of bike paths and proximity to stores. However, the lower score in Core Services (28) highlights areas for improvement, particularly in facilitating access to essential destinations by bike.
Colorado Springs has been continually improving over the years with a score of 24.17 in the ratings 1st year to a score of 40 in 2024.
Visit the PeopleForBikes City Rating website for more detail and guides on the importance of these measures and how to make Colorado Springs an even more bicycle-friendly city.
Bike Network Analysis is key to the City Ratings
The People for Bikes City Ratings are primarily based on the organization’s Bike Network Analysis (BNA). This data-driven tool assesses a city’s bike network by evaluating factors like connectivity, safety, and accessibility to essential destinations. The BNA provides a comprehensive picture of how well a city is serving the needs of cyclists.
If have GIS or Programing skills and would like to help out with mapping or specific local bike network analysis please connect with us
https://www.bikecoloradosprings.org/get-involved-form/mapping/
Manitou Springs: A Smaller City with Unique Challenges
Manitou Springs, our neighbor to the west, received a score of 57 out of 100 in the PeopleForBikes’ 2024 City Ratings. This is only the second year Manitou Springs has been included in the ratings. Local organization PAC Manitou has been instrumental in improving the town’s bike and pedestrian connections.
The breakdown of the score is as follows:
- People (66 out of 100)
- Opportunity (65 out of 100)
- Core Services (19 out of 100)
- Recreation (61 out of 100)
- Retail (51 out of 100)
- Transit (87 out of 100)
With a land area of approximately 3.15 square miles, Manitou Springs is significantly smaller than Colorado Springs, which spans over 195 square miles. This compact size makes most destinations within its limits easier to bike or walk to. While this score indicates a generally bike-friendly environment, a closer look at the categories reveals interesting insights. Notably, Manitou Springs scored a relatively low 19 out of 100 in the Core Services category. This suggests a potential lack of nearby grocery stores, healthcare facilities, and other essential amenities within the city limits.
The small land area and limited core services highlight the unique challenges faced by residents in Manitou Springs. Increasing access to essential amenities would significantly improve the overall quality of life and potentially boost the city’s bike-friendliness score.
Want to help make the Pikes Peak region a bike-friendly haven?
By investing in bike infrastructure, promoting bike safety, and encouraging bike use, Colorado Springs can improve its bike-friendliness rating and create a healthier, more sustainable community for its residents. Manitou Springs, on the other hand, could benefit from strategic planning to enhance core services and overall bike-friendliness.
Get involved with local cycling advocacy groups like Bike Colorado Springs and PACMaN, support bike-friendly initiatives, and encourage your respective city councils to prioritize people friendly infrastructure. Together, we can create a thriving community for everyone to enjoy on bike, foot, or rolling!
