Philly ranks high in bike commuters

Philadelphia has more bicycle commuters per capita than any other of the nation's top 10 most populated cities, according to new census figures.

With 1.6 percent of commuters riding to work on bicycle, Philadelphia's rate is more than triple the national average of 0.55 percent, an analysis by the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia shows.

But the city, No. 6 in population overall, lags behind some smaller cities and ranks 10th in bicycle commuting overall, according to the 2008 American Community Survey.

Except for Philadelphia and Washington (2.3 percent), the other top bicycle commuting cities are on or west of the Mississippi River, led by Portland with 6 percent and Minneapolis with 4.3 percent.