DC bike commuting more than doubled since 2000

It’s pretty clear from looking around DC that many people are bicycling. The Census has published new numbers that show how many are.

3.1% of commuters in the District bike to work, according to the American Community Survey. That puts DC seventh among cities over 200,000 people. In 2000, that number was only 1.2%, for an enormous jump.

Plus, the survey doesn’t even capture all of the bicycling. It just asks about commute to work trips. Many people bike for other trips even if they drive, take transit, or walk to work. And if you bike a short distance to a longer Metro ride, the Census would capture your commute as being by Metro, not by bike.

DC also has the second-highest rate of people walking to work, 12.1%, behind Boston’s 15.1%.

The District is very different than the whole region (which includes the inner suburban counties and the far exurban ones). For the larger metro region, 3.2% of people walk to work, says the Census report; it doesn’t say how many people bike to work region-wide.