Key West is Florida’s Best Biking City. Could It Become the Paris of Small Cities?

Key West has once again been recognized as one of the 2025 Best Places to Bike in the annual PeopleforBikes City Ratings, continuing its tradition of being a standout bicycling city. With a Score of 69 and a #1 ranking in Florida, Key West is making steady progress in becoming a top-tier bicycling destination. But why stop there? The potential to transform into the Paris of small bicycling cities is within our grasp — if we choose to seize it boldly and decisively.

This year, Key West achieved a Score of 69 and the following rankings:

  • Florida: Ranked #1
  • United States: Ranked #47
  • World: Ranked #148

In fact, of the 2,541 U.S. cities evaluated this year, only 234 scored above 50 — putting Key West’s 69 squarely in the nation’s top tier.

These rankings reflect a combination of factors that make Key West stand out:

  • Natural Advantages: A very small place with a compact street grid and great weather
  • Ongoing Improvements: Recent bike infrastructure upgrades, including new bike lanes on United and South Streets

Key West’s score has steadily climbed from 58 in 2021 to 69 today.

A Look Back

Over the years, Key West has consistently performed well in the PeopleforBikes City Ratings. Here’s a quick recap of its recent rankings:

  • 2025: A score of 69 and ranking of #1 in Florida, #47 in the U.S., and #148 in the world out of 2,901 cities, 2,743 of which are in the U.S.
  • 2024: A score of 68 and ranking of #1 in Florida, #44 in the U.S., and #116 in the world out of 2,579 cities, 2,300 of which are in the U.S.
  • 2023: A score of 66 and ranking of #68 out of 1,481 U.S. and 249 international places
  • 2022: A score of 61 and ranking of #15 out of 1,105 places in North America.
  • 2021: A score of 58 and ranked #39 out of 760 places (660 in the U.S.)

What Makes Key West Stand Out?

Key West’s strong showing in the PeopleForBikes City Ratings comes from a mix of natural advantages and intentional choices:

  • Structural Advantages: Our small footprint, compact street grid, and year-round good weather create the ideal foundation for a bikeable city. So, we start from a better place than most cities.
  • Strategic Investments: Recent improvements — like new bike lanes on United (2024) and South Streets (2025) and the new Staples Avenue Bike Bridge— build on that foundation.
  • Community Engagement: Local organizations (like Southernmost Slow Ride and Zombie Bike Ride) and residents actively promote cycling through events and initiatives.
  • Sustainability Goals: A long-standing commitment to reduce carbon emissions aligns with efforts to make biking a primary mode of transportation.

Why It Matters

A good score or being a great bicycling city means more than just bragging rights. It reflects a community that prioritizes safety, sustainability, and quality of life. Great bicycling cities reduce traffic congestion, lower carbon emissions, and promote healthier lifestyles. They also attract tourism and economic growth, creating vibrant spaces for residents and visitors alike.

Looking Ahead

PeopleforBikes’s are evaluating more and more cities each year. And while they adhere to very tough standards in their scoring, witness the average score is 30 and only 234 U.S. cities scored higher than 50 on the 100-point scale, Key West’s natural advantages have helped it stand out. But what if we really tried hard? Could we be the Paris (ranked the #1 big city in the world) of small cities?

Despite some clear recent wins, too many projects continue to prioritize cars over people — just as we noted in last year’s analysis or more specifically in stories  here, here, here, here, here and here.

Paris as a Model

As we continue to ask the question, given our natural advantages, what would Key West’s score and ranking be if we really tried and put substantial dollars into making our island into a biking paradise?

Paris offers a compelling example of what’s possible. Under Mayor Hidalgo’s leadership, the city has invested €250 million to make 100% of streets cyclable by 2026, created over 1,000 km of safe cycle paths, and seen a visible shift in behavior — with some streets now seeing more bikes than cars during rush hour. “Transforming Paris from Below: Cycling as a Social Movement” captures both the infrastructure investments and the cultural shift that have made Paris a global leader in urban cycling. Here’s a couple more great articles: “Reclaiming the City: Paris’s Decade-long Ride Towards a More Liveable Future” and “Paris Cycling Numbers Double In One Year Thanks To Massive Investment and Its Not Stopping.”

Paris, ranked the world’s top large city, achieved its position through bold leadership and focused investments — a roadmap that small cities like Key West can adapt.

Could Key West follow suit and become the Paris of small cities? The potential is there — if we choose to seize it.

What’s at Stake

Year after year, we track these rankings not for the score — but for what that score represents: a safer way to get to school. A cleaner way to move around town. A more human-scaled future for our island community.

For Key West, the stakes are especially high. As a small town with a high volume of visitors, the impact of car-centric infrastructure degrades the very qualities that make our island special. By prioritizing biking, walking, and transit-friendly solutions, we won’t just preserve the unique character of our community — we’ll shape the future of our island, ensuring it remains distinct from the mainland and a beacon of sustainability and innovation.

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Chris Hamilton is founder of the local advocacy group Friends of Car-Free Key West & Duval Street/Historic Downtown. Subscribe to the blog. Follow on Facebook and Twitter. A native of the District of Columbia, where for a couple decades+ he led nationally renowned efforts promoting transit, bike, walk and smart growth for Arlington County, VA’s DOT. Chris has lived in Key West since 2015. He lives car-free downtown and works and volunteers for a couple non-profits. You can find all of KONK Life Streets for People column articles here and here.

For readers who want to dive deeper…

About PeopleForBikes

PeopleForBikes is a national bicycling advocacy nonprofit and industry group that’s been publishing these City Ratings since 2018. The 2025 edition evaluates 2,901 cities worldwide — the most ever.

How City Ratings Work

PeopleForBikes scores cities on a 0–100 scale based on how safe and connected their bike networks are. The methodology, called Bicycle Network Analysis, looks at factors like protected lanes, safe intersections, and access to key destinations. Here’s a link to the Key West Stress Map used in the methodology.

Key West in Context

Key West’s #47 U.S. ranking and Score of 69 are strong, but there’s room to grow. For comparison:

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