US Cycling Trends Market Research
Author: Mary Schwab
The most recent American Community Survey reports that about 872,000 people, or 0.6% of all workers in the United States, cycle to work. While this number of cyclists on the road seems very minimal, the rate of Americans cycling to work has actually been decreasing even more over the past few years. The US saw an all time high of 904,463 commuter cyclists in 2014.
Contributing factors to the decline of commuter cyclists include lower gasoline prices and a stronger economy (which means strong auto sales and less interest in cheaper alternatives, such as mass transit and bikes). The rise of ride sharing services such as Uber and Lyft and electric scooters also cuts into the cycling rate.
Another key factor which limits the amount of cyclists on the road is overall safety. America’s roads were not built with cyclists in mind. Motor vehicles are still considered “king” and many key roads in American cities do not have bike lanes. According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Association, each year around 55,000 U.S. cyclists are injured and on average, there are 792 cyclist deaths (98% of those deaths were accidents with motor vehicles).
An additional contributor to the low rate of commuter cyclists is low government investment. Federal highway spending on bike- and pedestrian-related improvements in 2019 totaled $915.8 million, but this level of spending is still minimal considering the needs for bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure in the US. The good news is that when cities focus on their cycling infrastructure, they see the number of cyclists increase. In Washington DC, cycle commuting more than doubled between 2006 and 2017. This increase is the direct result of the city adding about 80 miles of cycle lanes since the year 2000. DC aims to continue to build at least 50 additional miles of cycle lanes through 2020, with a focus on those lanes being protected (more than just a strip of paint). Because of these infrastructure commitments, DC is the fastest growing cycle commuting city in the country.
Hopefully more US cities will follow Washington DC’s lead and invest in their cycling infrastructure to give cyclists much more visibility and their rightful space on the road. I believe if American roads are made much safer for cyclists, then the rate of commuter cyclists will increase which will have a positive impact on the health and well being of American citizens as well as the environment.
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