How much of your day can you spend on a bike in Columbia?

We take a look at our bicycling infrastructure and how we can make the area more bikeable.

A narrow bike lane with bicycle symbols and arrows indicating direction.

It’s time to put the pedal to the metal.

Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko via Pexels

Table of Contents

Columbia scored a 35 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? 🚲

The top way to increase the bikeability of our city is — you guessed it — by biking more. We can boost our community score by learning more about biking in our city.

Don’t have a bike yet? Support one of these local bike shops:

More from COLAtoday
For every Bradford Pear you remove from your property, Clemson and the Forestry Commission will give you a free replacement, but only while supplies last.
Get your calendars out and start booking your reservations at these Midlands eateries offering special dishes, menus, and deals for a limited time during Restaurant Week South Carolina.
We compiled all of the feedback from our Giving Campaign to learn what readers love most and want to see more of in our newsletters. Here’s a peek at what they said.
Bookmark this guide for a curated list of events taking place each month that we’re most looking forward to.
Dining in Columbia is always a fresh experience, with new restaurants popping up all the time — and more on the way.
Block parties, early ball drops, free games — whatever your vibe, there’s a Columbia-area New Year’s Eve for you.
South Carolina is reshaping its offense with coordinator Kendal Briles and longtime assistants Stan Drayton and Randy Clements joining Shane Beamer’s staff.
Columbia Food & Wine Festival returns with new Tastemakers memberships and a USC hospitality scholarship added to its five-day lineup.
Registration is open for MAI’s spring Audio Engineering Certificate, a six-month program led by Jam Room’s Jay Matheson.
The $80 million LOCAL Columbia development will add new apartments, retail space, parking, and streetscape improvements just one block from the State House.