I’m more excited about what the future holds and the potential Memphis holds to become a premier for anyone using a bike from around the world.
-Kyle Wagenschutz, Bicycle Pedestrian Coordinator, City of Memphis

Key points Choose 901 pulled from the report include:

• More than 133 miles of bike friendly infrastructure already exists
• More than 273 miles will be in place by 2016
• Memphis now has the highest rate of bike usage in Tennessee
• Bike usage has more than doubled since 2008
• While usage has increased, rate of accidents has stayed unchanged
• Funding has been secured to complete projects

Some of the cool things Memphis is working on regarding cycling are the Hampline (two mile, on-road/multi-use trail designed for all levels of experience in walking and biking) connecting the Greenline (my personal favorite) to Overton Park and another 22 miles of green lanes across the city.

I remember when I was biking to work several miles a few years ago and there weren’t many (or any?) bike lanes back then. It was a bit scary at times but so much has changed here in such a short period of time. The first bike lanes and all that followed really made biking through Midtown and Downtown really accessible. And honestly if you can hit the greenline you can bike across the county rather easily. It’s pretty amazing all the progress Memphis has made in becoming a bicycle city.

The fact that so much MORE is coming in the next couple years is even more exciting. I am looking forward to trying out the new bike lanes and other bike areas that will be coming. I plan to blog more about it and showcase what an awesome biking city this so stay tuned!

If you are super nerdy, or like biking, or like Memphis (or all three), you can read the whole report here.