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DC topped the list of 51 US cities with the highest per capita funding for bicycle and pedestrian facilities and education, spending about $9.82 per resident to promote biking and walking, according to an Alliance for Biking & Walking Bicycling and Walking in the United States: 2012 Benchmarking Report. The document ranks all 50 states and the 51 largest US cities on bicycling and walking levels, safety, funding, and other factors. A press release issued by the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) features highlights as well as comments from DDOT Director Terry Bellamy and Mayor Vincent C. Gray, who reiterated the city’s commitment to a sustainable, walkable city. And, we might add, a healthy one. The report shows where bicycling and walking levels are higher, obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes levels are lower.

“This level of investment in biking and walking demonstrates DC’s commitment to sustainability,” said Ellen Jones, the DowntownDC BID’s director of Infrastructure and Sustainability, who oversees the organization’s biking issues.

Notable mentions in the report:
• DC has the second-highest share of commuters who walk to work, trailing only Boston
• The city has the seventh-highest share of commuters who bike to work
• More than 35% of DC households are carless, and only New York can boast a lower rate of car ownership
• The city has the sixth-lowest fatality rate for cyclists and pedestrians
• DC is the fourth-safest city to bike in and the seventh-safest for walking

Go, DC! Get a copy of the report, and visit DDOT’s Pedestrian and Bicycle Programs webpage for more information.

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