The streets of Louisville on Friday will have many more of what city leaders have been pushing for: bicyclists.For Bike to Work Day, Louisvillians are encouraged to, well, commute by bike. Five "Meet and Ride" spots have been set up throughout the area for people who'd rather ride in packs.Some Louisvillians will give commuting by bike a try for the first time on Friday; for others, biking to work is part of their daily routine. But for frequent cyclists, safety can be a real concern. Scores of motor vehicle vs. bicycle accidents happen in Louisville each year. Here's an idea of when and where those accidents happen. (We'll have some bicycle safety tips on Friday, too.)First off, bicycle accidents have decreased 25 percent so far in 2014 compared to the same period last year. In this year's accidents, 28 people were injured (and no deaths).Here's where those accidents happened:The city has made infrastructure changesto improve cycling—for example, a new bike lane on Breckinridge Street. But the map may point to other spots where infrastructure adjustments could help. Frequent cyclists would know best, so feel free to leave thoughts in the comments or on Twitter.The data comes from the Kentucky State Police's collision analysis system and covers all of Jefferson County.Here's a deeper-dive into those numbers:This is all relative to the number of cyclists on the road at any given time, of course. But it's clear—the vast majority of motor vehicle vs. bicycle accidents happen on dry roads during the day.Put in historical perspective: Motor vehicle vs. bicycle accidents have decreased for the first part of this year, but last year's 212 total was a 10-year high.So who is biking to work? Patrick Smith recently posted on The City Researcher a map showing (through estimates) where Louisvillians who bike to work live. It's worth checking out.
