Asheville scored a 33 out of 100 on Walk Score’s bikeability meter, deeming it a “somewhat bikeable” city. Our score is determined by four components: bike lanes, hills, destinations and connectivity, and bicycle mode share. Wondering what all that means? Let’s bike it out.
Bike lanes
Walk Score rates this category on the total length of bike paths and lanes. Learn more about bike lanes or plan a bike commute.
Hill score
Hilliness is based on the steepest grade within our area, calculated using the National Elevation Data set from the United States Geological Survey (USGC). Play with the USGS’ interactive map to learn more about nearby topography.
Destinations and connectivity
This uses our city’s Walk Score, which measures whether or not you need a car to run daily errands.
Bicycle mode share 🤝
This category takes into account the social nature of bicycling. There’s safety in numbers. Even if a city doesn’t have tons of infrastructure for cyclists, more cyclists mean more drivers are aware of bicycles — which makes roadways safer.
How can we boost our score? 🚲
Our city is already taking steps (er, pedals) towards become more bike-friendly. On Wednesday, April 19, 3-4 p.m., the city is hosting an community input event at The Collider that will focus on the College Patton Bike Lane Project. The recent Merrimon Avenue road diet also led to new bike lanes on a 1.5 mile stretch of road.
Another good way to increase the bikeability of our city is — you guessed it — by biking more. Get more engaged in the bike community with local nonprofit Asheville on Bikes.
If you don’t have a bike already, support one of these local bike shops:
- Asheville Bicycle Company, 1000 Merrimon Ave.
- Beer City Bicycles, 897 Riverside Dr, Woodfin
- Youngblood Bicycles, 233 Merrimon Ave.
- Liberty Bicycles, 1378 Hendersonville Rd.
- Gravelo Workshop, 793 Merrimon Ave.
