SEATTLE, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- (NASDAQ: RDFN)-- Minneapolis, Portland and Chicago are 2018's best cities for cycling according to new Bike Score® rankings by Redfin (www.redfin.com), the next-generation real estate brokerage. Bike Score, a tool by Redfin company Walk Score®, rates locations based on several factors including access to bike lanes, as well as road connectivity and hilliness. With the latest rankings, Bike Score ratings have been added to 1,831 new cities and more than 10,000 new neighborhoods.

"Among the biggest improvements made to Bike Score was adding OpenStreetMap infrastructure data, enabling us to identify bike paths, bike lanes and sharrows in thousands more cities and neighborhoods across the United States," said Matt Lerner, Walk Score co-founder and Redfin's vice president of product and design. "OpenStreetMap data is fueled by a community of people who know the roads and paths better than anyone, which makes this update the most accurate measure of bikeability that we have ever created."

Minneapolis once again topped the list of the most bikeable cities with a Bike Score of 81.9, up from 81.3 in 2015. Minneapolis passed a protected bikeway update in 2015 to develop goals, objectives and benchmarks to make biking in Minneapolis more widespread and safe. Minneapolis has also added more protected bike lanes on city streets using reflective white pylons as a divider on busier streets, with the goal of adding 30 miles of on-street protected bike lanes by 2020.

"As both a mayor and a bicyclist, I place a high priority on sustainable and inclusive transit," said Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. "Our greenway, our nationally-renowned parks, and our city's commitment to creating streets safe for everyone have helped make Minneapolis a national model for bike and pedestrian embracing infrastructure. This first place finish is a testament to our collective commitment to the Minneapolis model for meeting the transportation, safety, and environmental demands of the 21st century."

Below is a ranking of the top 10 U.S. cities (with populations of more than 300,000) for biking.

Portland had the biggest increase in its Bike Score, moving up 9.2 points from 2015 to 81.2 this year. In 2016, the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) received funding to create a system of bike lanes, bike crossings and neighborhood greenways that connects neighborhoods to the downtown area with commuter safety in mind. PBOT remains committed to keeping the city's bike network in good structural shape and continually expanding as part of its 2030 Bicycle Plan.

"Portland has some of the best bike infrastructure in the world—and it's only getting better," said Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler. "A high Bike Score isn't just important because it highlights our world-class bike infrastructure, but it speaks to the livability, environmental sustainability and connectedness of our city."

After Portland, Seattle, WA had the next-biggest Bike Score increase, up 7 points from 2015 to 70 this year. The emerald city moved from 13th place in 2015 to 6th place in 2018 thanks to the Seattle Bicycle Master Plan. As part of the plan, Seattle has added several off-street trails, neighborhood greenways and protected bike lanes to help riders pedal around the city as an additional mode of commuting.

To read the full report, complete with a detailed methodology and a breakdown of the cities with the biggest Bike Score increases and decreases, please visit: https://www.redfin.com/blog/2018/05/minneapolis-portland-and-chicago-are-the-most-bikeable-cities-of-2018.html  

About Redfin
Redfin (www.redfin.com) is the next-generation real estate brokerage, combining its own full-service agents with modern technology to redefine real estate in the consumer's favor. Founded by software engineers, Redfin has the country's #1 brokerage website and offers a host of online tools to consumers, including the Redfin Estimate, the automated home-value estimate with the industry's lowest published error rate for listed homes. Homebuyers and sellers enjoy a full-service, technology-powered experience from Redfin real estate agents, while saving thousands in commissions. Redfin serves more than 80 major metro areas across the U.S. The company has closed more than $60 billion in home sales.

For more information or to contact a local Redfin real estate agent, visit www.redfin.com. To learn about housing market trends and download data, visit the Redfin Data Center. To be added to Redfin's press release distribution list, subscribe here. To view Redfin's press center, click here.

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SOURCE Redfin