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5 Best Cities To Trade Your Car For A Bike

March 29, 2017

May is American Bike Month—the perfect time to examine bikes vs. cars. If you are thinking of making an eco-friendly switch to biking, you can be even more eco-friendly by recycling your car! 

Trading driving for biking is a great idea! When you are ready to say goodbye to the hassles of traffic, maintenance, and air pollution, biking is an excellent alternative. Yes, selling or trading in your car can be a hassle, but you can make the whole process easy on yourself by just donating your car to Wheels For Wishes. We pick up your car for free, give you a 100 percent tax deductible receipt, your donation funds a local chapter of Make-A-Wish or other children’s charities, and the process is so easy that you will be biking in no time!

No matter where you are in the U.S., switching from your car to a bike is a good plan. Some cities, however, are simply perfect for making the switch! Here are the top five cities to trade your car for a bike:

Chicago

Unfortunately, Chicago is known at times for impatient drivers and bad traffic. On the other hand, Chicago is also known for 100 miles of protected bike lanes! Biking to work using these protected lanes is often faster than driving in bad traffic. Meanwhile, you are helping the environment and getting a great workout!

San Francisco

San Francisco is a city known for alternative transportation. With a vibrant biking community and lifestyle already in place, San Francisco simply makes sense to make the switch from driving to biking. Warm weather, beautiful sites and several bike racks all around the city are just a bonus!

Portland

Almost 10 percent of Portland, Ore. residents bike to work. With an ever-growing biking atmosphere in Portland, every new bike lane is mandated to be protected as a default design. On top of all that, Portland has a great bike share system in place if you are in between bikes or waiting to cash in your Wheels For Wishes tax deduction on a bike next year! Plus, Portland biking comes with Portland quirks—like PedalPalooza, which features several events including a cookout with bike-mounted grills.

New York City

Since 2010, bike ridership has increased almost 90 percent in New York City! As a result, the city has taken action to ensure safety to bikers. Like many cities, New York City is known for terrible downtown traffic. Biking is faster and great for the environment. Plus, the city recently added protected bike lanes to all five boroughs and decreased the speed limit for cars.

Minneapolis

Minneapolis was far ahead of the curve in making biking a priority. In the 90s and 2000s, Minneapolis transformed railways into a bike path network that spans from the heart of the city to several surrounding suburbs. Protected bike paths and a great bike-sharing system are just bonuses. If you fear the brutal Minnesota winter, the strong bike community in Minneapolis is prepared to help with fat bikes, winter bike gear and community seminars on how to get it done in the winter as much of the biking community does. 

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CDF also runs the following programs:
Wheels for Wishes benefiting Make-A-Wish®, Wheels for Wishes & Wellness benefiting local children's hospitals and charities, Vehicles for Veterans benefiting disabled veterans, and Animal Car Donation benefiting animal rescue organizations.

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