Bicycling's Worst

Bicycling Magazine has released its best cities for cycling and guess what?

Memphis ... Not on the list.

Actually, the Bluff city did make one of their lists ... the one of the worst cities for cycling, along with Miami and Dallas.

Here's what they had to say:

"No bike lanes exist within the city limits of Memphis. And the city government, comprised of layers of bureaucracy, has repeatedly ignored or rejected requests from bike clubs, shops and other organizations to create facilities. For example, in 2005 the Tennessee department of transportation and the city engineer's office conducted a study of Walnut Grove Road, a main artery in Memphis which leads into Shelby Farms Park, a 4,500-acre urban park run by Shelby County. The study concluded that the road would be unsuitable for bikes, and recommended a few simple changes to its design to accommodate a bike lane. The lane would allow access to the park for bikes, instead of just cars. Officials promised to explore a plan, but new curbs, gutters and sidewalks were built without explanation, effectively eliminating the possibility of a lane."

I don't know much about cycling or whether this is a good city for it (the presence of Memphis drivers alone makes me nervous ... ). However, I will mention one thing: There are now bike lanes striped on Shady Grove, which means there ARE bike lanes within the city limits.

Deemed "still the greatest" cities for cycling were Portland, Seattle, Chicago, San Francisco, and Boulder.