Alameda Runners – Get After It!

Alameda is one of the top 291 most bike-friendly cities in the United States, receiving a bronze status, according to The League of American Bicyclists.

Each city is ranked based on the five following criteria: “creating safe and convenient places to ride; providing education for new and less experienced  cyclists; creating a strong bike culture; ensuring safe roads for biking; and planning for bicycling as a safe and viable transportation option.”

This is a great award for a city that is clearly dedicated to helping people get around town by bike – and receiving recognition should be a good honor for the city.

I’ve ridden a bike in a lot of areas in the country, and believe Northern California has some of the most scenic roads to enjoy. The San Francisco Bay Area has plenty of great places to ride, with quite a few scenic locations within 60 minutes to Alameda.

Even when I get caught behind a draw bridge going up, it’s still such a unique situation to stumble across on your daily bike commute:

I occasionally have trouble with an overly aggressive driver that doesn’t want to give me room on the road, but riding around Alameda is still one of the more enjoyable locations to be on two wheels.

It was just a few years ago when the Alameda Police Department was criticized for being too aggressive with traffic enforcement. Fast forward a few years, and now some people say the APD isn’t enforcing traffic violations harshly enough – I think it is fine, as officers certainly are looking for people disrespecting cyclists.  (Also keep in mind, people on bikes not following the rules are often stopped for traffic violations.)