by Robert Borges on January 16, 2025
After retirement, it’s easy to fall into a low-activity lifestyle. If you’re seeking fifty-five-plus communities that help you maintain healthy habits like biking, there are certain amenities you can look for. The best bicycle-friendly amenities in senior communities include access to senior-friendly bikes, bike networks, accessible bike storage spaces, and protected bike lanes.
There are many benefits of bike-friendly infrastructure in fifty-five-plus housing communities, including promoting safety and health for residents. This is because the aging population can have increasing concerns about biking, such as the increased risk that comes with falling, awareness of surroundings, and managing oncoming traffic or obstacles.
Ways to Make Biking Safer for Seniors
Because biking can become a dangerous activity for seniors, it’s important for active adult communities to make accommodations to safely support individuals that bike. Many fifty-five-and-older communities have amenities to support biking, because biking can improve mood, joint health, and support cardiovascular wellness in aging individuals.
Here are several bicycle-friendly amenities you can look for when selecting an active adult community:
Senior-Friendly Bikes
While biking has many health benefits for seniors, two-wheeled biking can pose a higher risk for active individuals as they age. They can be more difficult to balance on, and recovering from falls or crashes can be more challenging.
Look for a community that offers three-wheeled bikes for side-by-side riders, or two-wheeled bikes with low center bars that make it easy to step through when getting off or on. Fifty-five-and-older communities may also offer low-lying bikes that are gentler on the spine and easier to ride.
Bike Networks
Bike networks are systems of connected bike lanes, paths, and crossings that allow people to bike around a neighborhood safely and comfortably. Senior communities that have neighborhood bikeways (paths designed with elements to slow traffic and prioritize bikes) and shared-use paths (paths that follow utility easements and waterways) make it easier for senior bikers to focus on their activity.
Accessible Bike Storage Spaces
Bike storage spaces are critical features for a bike-friendly community. They should be secure, with security cameras, restricted access, and U-lock bicycle racks. This can also include individual bike lockers with low or no steps, low-angled ramps, and very smooth pavements.
The spaces themselves must be easily accessible to seniors. This can include an area with at least thirty by forty-eight inches of clear space for each bike rack, thirty-six-inch wide aisles, and limited wall-mounted protrusions to prevent hazards. Additionally, these storage spaces should include bike repair stations and compression air pumps for safety and maintenance.
Protected Bike Lanes
Much like bike networks, protected bike lanes are an easy way to integrate bike-friendliness. These can be separate paved paths or bike lanes with protected barriers, which separate bikes from street traffic and other moving objects.
Protected bike lanes improve predictability for cyclists, reduce conflicts with cars, reduce the risk of injury, and encourage safer driving by forcing drivers to slow down for cyclists and pedestrians.
Find Bike-Friendly Communities With Private Communities
Biking is a highly beneficial way to improve your overall wellness, but it can become more difficult as you age. By choosing an active adult community with the right amenities, you can enjoy all of the benefits of biking safely. To find a community that’s right for you, use the Private Communities search tool today!
