DC ranks 2nd for biking & walking

The District ranked near the top in a national survey when it comes to the number and safety of commuters who bike or walk to work.

In the 2012 Benchmarking Report by the Alliance for Biking and Walking, Washington ranked second in the country when it comes to the number of commuters who bike or walk. The study was based on data from all 50 states and the 51 largest U.S. cities.

Among the top five for commuter volume:

1. Boston
2. Washington
3. San Francisco
4. Seattle
5. New York

The same status can't be said for the entire DMV. Maryland and Virginia both ranked in the bottom half of the survey, at No. 32 and No. 36, respectively.

When it comes to pedestrian and cyclist safety, Boston ranked once again on top. That data was based on the number of fatal accidents. The District came in sixth, with Minneapolis, Omaha, Seattle and Portland ahead of it.

Fort Worth, Texas, is the least friendly for biking and walking. It ranked at the bottom of both surveys.

The Alliance for Biking and Walking says overall 12 percent of all trips were by bike or by foot and between 2000 and 2009, the number of commuters who biked to work jumped by 57 percent.