Grand Rapids continues to improve its image as one of America's most bike friendly cities. We already have close to 50 miles of bike lanes in the city, that number will hit 70 miles in 2015 and 100 miles by 2016.

Those numbers are even more impressive when you consider that in 2009, Grand Rapids had ZERO bike lanes open. Currently the city ranks in the top 50 bicycle friendly cities in the nation at 41st, and it isn't by accident.

For the sake of full disclosure, I am an urban bike commuter, riding about ten miles to and from my job per day. About 80 percent of my commute is made easier by bike lanes, making it much easier to integrate with car traffic. Bike lanes also make travel in the darker hours much safer.

Mayor George Heartwell says it's not just about biking, it's part of what smart cities nation wide are doing. Heartwell says when you look at a list of bike friendly cities, you have cities that also rank high for their quality of life: Minneapolis, Portland, and Boulder for example.

"If you create an environment where people want to live, create public spaces that are attractive to people -- those are the places people want to live," Heartwell told Crain's Detroit. "That is what elevates those cities to the top of the list.

"It is about attracting talent. The cities that attract talent are the ones that win."

A report released last month by the Michigan Department Of Transportation revealed that being bicycle friendly means a $668-million boost to the State's economy, mostly through bike sales and reductions in health care costs, not to mention how it helps tourism.

Here's a breakdown of money generated in grand Rapids from bicycling:

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