Walk Score became a thing almost as soon as the company first began rating the pedestrian-friendliness of cities and neighborhoods in 2007. By now, it's so firmly established that it's worked its way into the vernacular of real estate and urban planning. Zillow, for example, includes a walk score for every property it lists, and Phoenix used the data to determine where to locate light-rail stations.
A year ago, the company branched out into wheeled transport and began giving a bike score to an ever-expanding circle of neighborhoods and cities. That circle now includes Dallas.
The results aren't particularly surprising. Dallas as a whole gets a 41 out of 100, earning it a "Somewhat Bikeable" which, given that the label applies to everything with a 0 and above, isn't exactly a compliment. It's certainly well short of making Dallas a "Biker's Paradise" (which, to be fair, not even biking mecca Portland achieves) or "Very Bikeable" or even just "Bikeable," which requires a score of 50.
As you can see from the map, however, some areas are more bikeable than others. A couple of the yellowish spots -- Oak Lawn, East Dallas -- even reach the "Very Bikeable" threshold, earning praise for being "flat as a pancake" and having "some lanes." Mostly, though, the city's a sea of reddish orange.
For an even more damning indictment of the biking scene in Dallas, take a look at Walk Score's heat map of bike commuters in Dallas.
That little orangish blob coming downtown from East Dallas is me.
