Bike ridership continues to rise despite shifting work habits, more transit options, says expert
National Bike to Work Day is Friday, May 17. But as work habits have changed since the pandemic — with many people working hybrid or fully remote — measuring bike ridership by share of commuters using two wheels to get to work doesn’t reflect the full picture of ridership, even in a place like the D.C. metro area, which has one of the highest bike commuter percentages in the country.
Ralph Buehler, professor of Urban Affairs & Planning in the School of Public and International Affairs at Virginia Tech, studies transportation and travel behavior in cities. “Washington has about five times the share of bike commuters as the United States as a whole, but still lags well behind the leading European cities in Denmark, Germany, and The Netherlands,” says Buehler.
Buehler explains that some ridership numbers are unambiguous. Despite the proliferation of other competitors like Lime Bike and Veo, and other non-car transport options like electric scooters, Capital Bikeshare has continued to boom since the pandemic, posting a 26.4% increase in rides from 2021 to 2022, then posting an additional 28.5% increase in 2023.
And all that doesn’t even account for people riding their own personal bikes and e-bikes, says Buehler. While D.C. has built more than 100 miles of bike lanes in the last 20+ years, much of bike traffic that sticks to trails — which are better protected from traffic and have fewer lights and intersections — goes largely unseen, and uncounted by more traditional methods. That’s why Buehler is currently in the midst of a five-year study counting cyclists on national trails for the National Park System.
“We’ve known really little about walking and cycling,” he says, as ridership has been massively understudied in comparison to cars. “This research allows us to make better decisions around it.”
No matter where people are choosing to ride bikes, however, doing so creates better health and safety outcomes for everyone.
“It’s a boon for public health,” says Buehler. “It reduces traffic, reduces noise, and reduces air pollution.”
About Buehler
Ralph Buehler is a professor of urban affairs and planning in the School of International and Public Affairs at Virginia Tech in the greater Washington, D.C. metro region. His research areas focus on understanding individual travel behavior and the sustainability of transport systems in urban areas. He is also the co-editor of the books Cycling for Sustainable Cities and City Cycling.
Schedule an interview
To schedule an interview with Ralph Buehler, contact Noah Frank in the media relations office at nafrank@vt.edu or 805-453-2556.
