Bike Commuting Down: American Community Survey Data

Chris Woodyard reports: "After rising for several years, the percentage of commuters turning to bikes declined for the third year straight, U.S. Census Bureau figures show."

"Nationally, the percentage of people who say they use a bike to get to work fell by 3.2 percent from 2016 to 2017, to an average of 836,569 commuters, according to the bureau's latest American Community Survey….That's down from a high of 904,463  in 2014, when it peaked after four straight years of increases."

According to Woodyard, the decrease is more drastic in some cities than others. Biking to work declined by 50 percent in Tampa and Cleveland, for instance. Bike commuting also decreased in Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Oakland, and New Orleans. Still, bike commuting increased in Minneapolis, Denver, D.C., and Philadelphia.

Dave Snyder, executive director of the California Bicycle Coalition, is paraphrased in the article, crediting (blaming?) lower gasoline prices and a stronger economy increasing auto sales and decreasing interest in alternative modes of transportation.