The Who, What, Where, Why and How of Washington, D.C.'s Capital Bikeshare

For most of us, the bikesharing program is a fun way to get some exercise, a commute-shortener, or an excuse to get rid of our cars. And most of us don't give much more thought to it than that. Sure, we lobby for a new dock near our house or office, we wave at the hardworking bike rebalancers.

Delve a little deeper, though, and you realize that Capital Bikeshare is an incredibly complex system. Users take hundreds of thousands of trips per month (many more in the spring and summer--the system set new ridership records during the Cherry Blossom Festival). Bike docks empty out of neighborhoods like Columbia Heights in the mornings and fill downtown, and the pattern reverses in the evening. Placing new stations is more of an art than a science.

As the system heads toward its four-year anniversary, we thought we'd compile our favorite facts, thoughts and stories about the cheery red ubiquitous bikes. Don't call it a complete guide to bikeshare. Call it Elevation DC's take on answering the bikeshare questions you (should) think hardest about.

The post includes more information on how they place new stations, where the busiest are, the most hidden, secret Bikeshare station, and the most creative use of two CaBis ever.