Portland is known for being a biking mecca, ranking high in national studies for our legislation, miles of trails and favorable conditions. May is National Bike Month, and Friday May 18th is National Bike to Work day. So to celebrate, the experts behind Walk Score recently announced the addition of Bike Score. Walk Score, is an online tool ranking neighborhoods based on whether you can get anywhere on foot. Bike Score is more in-depth. Bike Score covers bike path availability, terrain and how many people will be joining you. Bike Score measures whether a location is good for biking on a scale from 0 - 100. Bike Score is based on bike infrastructure (lanes and trails), hills, destinations and road connectivity, and the number of bike commuters. Read the detailed Bike Score methodology. Walk Score works almost everywhere — even if you live in the suburbs. Bike Score is just in its infancy and has only been implemented for the top 10 most bikeable cities. But they’re expanding. If your city isn’t on the list, you can tweet a vote for it to be added to the list. Bike Scores Top 10.

1. Minneapolis
2. Portland
3. San Francisco
4. Boston
5. Madison
6. WashingtonD.C.
7. Seattle
8. Tucson
9. New York
10.  Chicago

Bicycling by the numbers:

• Americans made 4 billions trips by bicycle in 2009, more than twice as many as in 2001
• Bike commuting inccreased 43% between 2000 and 2010
• 71% of Americans say they would like to bike more
• $10 is saved each day by bike commuting 10 miles
• 1 pound of CO2 is saved for every mile pedaled
• Riding reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke by 50%
• It costs $8000 per year to own a car

Renaissance Homes is an award winning Street of Dreams custom home builder specializing in green building, remodeling and renovations for the Portland market. Awarded the Portland Homebuilder’s Association 2011 “Builder of the Year.”