It’s on: Chicago vies for #everydaybiking title

If you’ve got a rack or a basket on your bike, consider riding on Milwaukee Avenue past Huron Street on Thursday, May 28 between 4:30 and 5:30 p.m.

That’s because the Chicago Department of Transportation will be counting bikes with racks and baskets as part of a new nationwide competition to find the best city for everyday biking.

What city has the most cargo bikes? Where are more kids biking? And most importantly: what city has the highest number of people with beards riding bikes?

PeopleForBikes is working with groups in cities across the country to try and answer these and other whimsical questions through a monthly series of special bike counts.  

The project kicked off last month with a focus on cargo bikes and will continue through November. 

In May, the challenge will move on to bikes with racks and baskets. So saddle up, Chicago, time to live up to our ballot-box stuffing reputation. The game is afoot!

Monthly winners will be reported on the PeopleForBikes blog and we’ll be sure to keep you all posted on how much Chicago is dominating.

While this project is a fun way to make the diversity of cycling in our cities more visible, it also underscores the critical importance of data collection in our work.

Here in Chicago, we’re lucky to have a department of transportation that conducts monthly and quarterly bike counts throughout the city, helping to paint a picture of who is biking where in our city. But they can’t keep up this important work without the help of dedicated volunteers.  

Use this form to let us know if you’re interested in learning more about volunteering with the monthly bike count program and we’ll help get you connected.