WASHINGTON — Washington, D.C. ranked as the fifth most bike-friendly city in the U.S., rising two spots from last year's ranking, according to a recent study from Clever, a real estate data company. The study also revealed that the best bicycle infrastructure is found in the District.
Despite being in the top five of bike-friendly cities, the nation's capital was not always that way. However, study authors said local officials “began pushing the pedal forward” in 2010 when they piloted the country's first bike-share program, Capital Bikeshare. The program enables easy access to bicycles through its ever-expanding network of docking stations, which grew 9% from 2022 to 2023. Capital Bikeshare says its goal is for every resident to live within a quarter-mile of a docking station.
The study revealed D.C. began building its bike infrastructure at the same time Capital Bikeshare opened. Since then, the District has built more than 100 miles of bike lanes and installed nearly 2,000 bike racks.
The city's infrastructure investment has earned it a bike-ability score of 92 out of 100, the highest among the 50 cities assessed for comparison. The study shows that Charlotte and Birmingham are the least bikeable cities, with a score of 31.
By constructing infrastructure that makes streets safer, the city boasts the country's tenth-lowest cyclist-involved fatal crash rate. Every year, D.C. reports 59% fewer fatal crashes involving cyclists than the national average. According to the study, Tampa has the most fatal crashes, with a shocking 1.3 residents per 100,000 involved.
The study highlights that only 0.4% of workers in D.C. commute to work by bicycle, and the city has 1.7 bike trails per 100,000 people. For comparison, Houston has the fewest (0.3).
City officials aim to promote safety as a key incentive for residents to embrace biking as a mode of transportation. For new cyclists, various community groups like DC Bike Party and Nice-N-Easy are readily available to warmly welcome them. Whether experienced or novice, biking holds a special place in the hearts of district residents, as evidenced by their 28% higher search interest in bike-related terms on Google compared to residents of other cities, the study revealed.
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