JACKSONVILLE, Fla — Jacksonville has been ranked one of the worst bike-friendly cities in the USA.
LawnStarter, a nationwide lawn care service, ranked the nation's top cities to bike in the country in honor of World Bicycle Day earlier this month in a blog post.
"The bigger the city the better it rides on our list," the site says. Yet, Jacksonville, the largest city by landmass in the country, places nowhere near the highest rankers.
Of the 200 biggest U.S. cities compared by LawnStarter, the 875 square mile city is in 191st place... making Jacksonville the 10th worst biking city in America.
The Golden City, with 46.87 square miles, won the gold. San Francisco is followed by Minneapolis, New York, Portland and Eugene, OR.
Baton Rouge, Jackson and Pasadena hold the bottom three ranks.
The cities were based on a factor of "24 key indicators of a cyclist-friendly lifestyle," according to LawnStarter. They were ranked under parameters of access, safety, climate, community and events.
As the most populous city in the state, Jacksonville still doesn't do well compared to the other major metropolitans in Florida, like Orlando, Tampa, Miami and Tallahassee, which all ranked among the top 35 best biking cities.
Among the last 10 cities categorized as the "worst" cities to bike in, South and Southwest regions claimed the least ranked spots.
That isn't a shock, according to LawnStarter, because biking requires time outdoors. The climate in these regions doesn't necessarily make our cities the most optimal to bike in given the excruciating heat waves and proneness to thunderstorms.
"Warm and wet don’t mix well with cycling," the blog says.
The Florida cities that placed in the study's top 35 best biking cities also placed in the top 10 list of the stormiest cities in the U.S., as reported by the Farmers' Almanac. Not Jacksonville, though!
The site's explanation for why the 904 didn't rank at the top of the list is because densely populated cities need to fund infrastructure that helps bikers.
In comparison to the cities ranked among the top five, that is reflected in the study's access category; Jacksonville ranks 154.
However, Jacksonville is ranked as the fourth best place to live in Florida and 24th best place to live in the country, according to U.S. News & World Report.
"There are nature trails to hike and marshes to kayak," the magazine's website says. "There is history to see, and there is business to develop. In fact, the region witnessed an ignition of its art and music scene, stimulating business development that has led to demand for a higher standard of living."
Additionally, there are already projects underway to improve Jacksonville's biking-ability status.
The city's nonprofit partner Groundwork Jacksonville posted its master plan report for the Emerald Trail back in 2019 which will connect all throughout the old urban core of Jacksonville.
Jacksonville City Councilmember Matt Carlucci previously told First Coast News this next major trail project will connect 16 schools and will have lakes, greenways and parks.
"I think when you bring people together, that really builds a city, and that's what the Emerald Trail will do," Carlucci said.
The trail will also link 14 neighborhoods surrounding downtown, an economic investment toward the underserved neighborhoods in the city.
The city expects Emerald Trail's completion by 2029.
Until then, cyclists can safely bike on the coastal beaches and parks with designated biking trails.
