Originally Posted by
cerewa
I'm not a big fan of Anchorage, AK as a bike commuting place myself. A lot of the roads are like Northern Lights Blvd, on which I did many a commute among motorists who like to go 55mph (in a 40mph zone) and pass too closely.
regarding the "no Canadians yet?" comment... I found Montreal to be pretty good. Drivers in center city, at least, usually treat bicycles like any other traffic, to be passed with several feet of space at a minimum. Lots of roads where actual traffic speeds are 30mph or less.
Philadelphia, where I now live, is also a good bike-commuting location, with many light-traffic, low-speed streets to take you to almost any destination, plus bike lanes along some of the popular cycling routes. (the bike lanes are mostly painted dangerously close to the parked-car door zone though! big thumbs-down for that; I don't want my fellow cyclists getting doored.)
My current commute takes me through the Philly suburbs which are really not so bicycle friendly, although it could be worse.
I've commuted in the Philadelphia suburbs, not far from you and "freemti", and I agree with you about the local roads. I have a greater problems with other cyclists in Phoenixville than motorists anywhere in the Philadelphia area - at least the cars don't ride the wrong way.
I spent a week in Cleveland, staying in a downtown hotel and renting a bike for the duration. I rode from my hotel all over the downtown each morning and afternoon. I loved the flatness of the city, and traffic wasn't bad at all.