DC bike group says fewer now riding bikes to work than in 2012 (?!?!)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I thought the theory was that if we build it, they will come. The number of riders seems to be shrinking even as the number of lanes increases.

Still haven’t heard a good response to this.

I hear a bunch of nonsense stories that claim non-quantifiable non work trips are increasing or pointing to CaBi numbers as some sort of vindication. The problem for those people is that the actual data doesn’t support them.

DDOT has bike counters and they are pretty clear about what’s going on regardless of type of bike, purpose of trip or time of day.
https://ddot.dc.gov/page/dc-automated-bicycle-and-pedestrian-counters

People are using Maine Avenue and the Anacostia River Trail a lot. This is likely because the Wharf is not really Metro accessible and it’s probably easier to get out of a Nats game on a bike than by Metro or car. And also because people are enjoying some weekend recreation.

What people are not doing is biking around the rest of the city in any significant numbers. And we know the numbers around the city have to be even worse than you can imagine because they actually removed the counter from the vaunted 15th street cycle track and added more counters along Rock Creek to track more recreational users.

I’m not sure why this is an issue brings out so many liars, but it does.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I thought the theory was that if we build it, they will come. The number of riders seems to be shrinking even as the number of lanes increases.

Still haven’t heard a good response to this.

I hear a bunch of nonsense stories that claim non-quantifiable non work trips are increasing or pointing to CaBi numbers as some sort of vindication. The problem for those people is that the actual data doesn’t support them.

DDOT has bike counters and they are pretty clear about what’s going on regardless of type of bike, purpose of trip or time of day.
https://ddot.dc.gov/page/dc-automated-bicycle-and-pedestrian-counters

People are using Maine Avenue and the Anacostia River Trail a lot. This is likely because the Wharf is not really Metro accessible and it’s probably easier to get out of a Nats game on a bike than by Metro or car. And also because people are enjoying some weekend recreation.

What people are not doing is biking around the rest of the city in any significant numbers. And we know the numbers around the city have to be even worse than you can imagine because they actually removed the counter from the vaunted 15th street cycle track and added more counters along Rock Creek to track more recreational users.

I’m not sure why this is an issue brings out so many liars, but it does.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Someone tell the anti-car zealots at DDOT. They seem to think that if they make traffic terrible enough (ahem, "road diet"), that everyone will switch to bikes. The data make clear that's not happening.

DDOT officials get dressed down here by Black Washingtonians telling them they don't want their bike lanes: https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/11/15/bike-lanes-road-safety-south-dakota-avenue/

Hilarious.

[Anonymous]

Fewer people are working in person, duh

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I thought the theory was that if we build it, they will come. The number of riders seems to be shrinking even as the number of lanes increases.

Still haven’t heard a good response to this.

I hear a bunch of nonsense stories that claim non-quantifiable non work trips are increasing or pointing to CaBi numbers as some sort of vindication. The problem for those people is that the actual data doesn’t support them.

DDOT has bike counters and they are pretty clear about what’s going on regardless of type of bike, purpose of trip or time of day.
https://ddot.dc.gov/page/dc-automated-bicycle-and-pedestrian-counters

People are using Maine Avenue and the Anacostia River Trail a lot. This is likely because the Wharf is not really Metro accessible and it’s probably easier to get out of a Nats game on a bike than by Metro or car. And also because people are enjoying some weekend recreation.

What people are not doing is biking around the rest of the city in any significant numbers. And we know the numbers around the city have to be even worse than you can imagine because they actually removed the counter from the vaunted 15th street cycle track and added more counters along Rock Creek to track more recreational users.

I’m not sure why this is an issue brings out so many liars, but it does.

DDOTs counters have serious flaws, the most obvious being they don't exist/work in places that are actually used like the MBT. This should be 101 level work from DDOT, but it is what it is.

[Anonymous]

Even voters on the west coast are retreating from these progressive dreams. The normies are back in charge. We don’t want legalization of drugs, bike lanes, sanctuary cities, and public camping. Y’all had a good run though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Fewer people are working in person, duh

D.O.G.E. is watching.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I thought the theory was that if we build it, they will come. The number of riders seems to be shrinking even as the number of lanes increases.

Still haven’t heard a good response to this.

I hear a bunch of nonsense stories that claim non-quantifiable non work trips are increasing or pointing to CaBi numbers as some sort of vindication. The problem for those people is that the actual data doesn’t support them.

DDOT has bike counters and they are pretty clear about what’s going on regardless of type of bike, purpose of trip or time of day.
https://ddot.dc.gov/page/dc-automated-bicycle-and-pedestrian-counters

People are using Maine Avenue and the Anacostia River Trail a lot. This is likely because the Wharf is not really Metro accessible and it’s probably easier to get out of a Nats game on a bike than by Metro or car. And also because people are enjoying some weekend recreation.

What people are not doing is biking around the rest of the city in any significant numbers. And we know the numbers around the city have to be even worse than you can imagine because they actually removed the counter from the vaunted 15th street cycle track and added more counters along Rock Creek to track more recreational users.

I’m not sure why this is an issue brings out so many liars, but it does.

DDOTs counters have serious flaws, the most obvious being they don't exist/work in places that are actually used like the MBT. This should be 101 level work from DDOT, but it is what it is.

You must have a very low opinion of other people. I take that back, I guess you’re used to this routine working on actual dimwits like Charles Allen so you assume that everyone else is also stupid.

[Anonymous]

Work from home? This needs to be viewed within broader number of total commuters and share of those traveling car, public transport and walking / biking. The total number is not meaningful without accounting for other factors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I thought the theory was that if we build it, they will come. The number of riders seems to be shrinking even as the number of lanes increases.

Still haven’t heard a good response to this.

I hear a bunch of nonsense stories that claim non-quantifiable non work trips are increasing or pointing to CaBi numbers as some sort of vindication. The problem for those people is that the actual data doesn’t support them.

DDOT has bike counters and they are pretty clear about what’s going on regardless of type of bike, purpose of trip or time of day.
https://ddot.dc.gov/page/dc-automated-bicycle-and-pedestrian-counters

People are using Maine Avenue and the Anacostia River Trail a lot. This is likely because the Wharf is not really Metro accessible and it’s probably easier to get out of a Nats game on a bike than by Metro or car. And also because people are enjoying some weekend recreation.

What people are not doing is biking around the rest of the city in any significant numbers. And we know the numbers around the city have to be even worse than you can imagine because they actually removed the counter from the vaunted 15th street cycle track and added more counters along Rock Creek to track more recreational users.

I’m not sure why this is an issue brings out so many liars, but it does.

lol yes they are biking everywhere. the CaBi data shows this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Even voters on the west coast are retreating from these progressive dreams. The normies are back in charge. We don’t want legalization of drugs, bike lanes, sanctuary cities, and public camping. Y’all had a good run though.

The one thing I appreciate about “realignment conservatives” is that some of them actually have noticed that unsafe streets are hostile to families. People like Tim Carney point this out. So no, you’re not right that there is now carte blanche for cars.

OTOH I have my suspicions that Tesla/Musk may be behind some of the nuttier attacks on bike lanes since Teslas get confused by them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I mean arguing for every form of traffic calming except bike lanes is not really in good faith. The NIMBYs will be out in full force equally when it’s just adding a median and dedicated bus lane and not bike lanes.

I think you are referring to my posts in which I advocate for other traffic calming measures in situations where speeding or pedestrian safety is an issue but a bike lane doesn't really make sense.

Your attitude is infuriating because I don't argue against bike lanes *when they make sense.* The issue is DDOT suggest bike lanes any time a road is a problem and this is one of the reasons there is so much opposition to bike lanes -- because they are often thrust upon neighborhoods where there is little demand for them and where they are rarely used (in part because so many DDOT lanes are just paint on a road or flexible bollards between the lane and traffic on what everyone agrees is already a dangerous road -- who wants to bike on a road like that other than true diehards?). DDOT eliminates traffic lanes as well as residential parking for these bike lanes people didn't ask for and then bike advocate freak out when residents protest them.

If you really want to increase interest in biking, you'd focus bike lanes in areas where there is already a large cycling community and where demand is there. And then on the city's many dangerous roads where drivers regularly speed and drive dangerously (and almost no one bikes), you'd advocate for traffic calming measures that will ACTUALLY slow down drivers and make the road safe for pedestrians. And then guess what? People will want to bike there. But throwing a bike lane on a busy road like SD Ave and doing nothing else to slow drivers will only make people say "why the heck is there a bike lane here that no one uses?" It does not actually accomplish your goals.

Or you could claim that anyone who ever opposes a bike lane is a NIMBY who will also oppose other measures because that makes it easier for you to keep trying to impose your will on other residents of the city instead of actually talking to people and listening to what they have to say (even when it's "I don't want a bike lane on this road").

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I thought the theory was that if we build it, they will come. The number of riders seems to be shrinking even as the number of lanes increases.

Still haven’t heard a good response to this.

I hear a bunch of nonsense stories that claim non-quantifiable non work trips are increasing or pointing to CaBi numbers as some sort of vindication. The problem for those people is that the actual data doesn’t support them.

DDOT has bike counters and they are pretty clear about what’s going on regardless of type of bike, purpose of trip or time of day.
https://ddot.dc.gov/page/dc-automated-bicycle-and-pedestrian-counters

People are using Maine Avenue and the Anacostia River Trail a lot. This is likely because the Wharf is not really Metro accessible and it’s probably easier to get out of a Nats game on a bike than by Metro or car. And also because people are enjoying some weekend recreation.

What people are not doing is biking around the rest of the city in any significant numbers. And we know the numbers around the city have to be even worse than you can imagine because they actually removed the counter from the vaunted 15th street cycle track and added more counters along Rock Creek to track more recreational users.

I’m not sure why this is an issue brings out so many liars, but it does.

DDOTs counters have serious flaws, the most obvious being they don't exist/work in places that are actually used like the MBT. This should be 101 level work from DDOT, but it is what it is.

You must have a very low opinion of other people. I take that back, I guess you’re used to this routine working on actual dimwits like Charles Allen so you assume that everyone else is also stupid.

Are you hiding behind this routine while insisting the 17 counters are representative of city wide cycling? If so, then you de realize that we're looking at more than a 10% increase in cycling since the pandemic right? That's with far fewer people commuting on the daily.

[Anonymous]

Are scooter riders up? Because I never rode a bike around DC, but the last 3 years I've taken up scootering.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are scooter riders up? Because I never rode a bike around DC, but the last 3 years I've taken up scootering.

Hard to say. Scooters aren't really an option in any commuting survey. Eventually they will be, but aren't currently. Until then you have provider data and some small scale stuff.