Bicycling in DC does well in mode share survey

MWCOG did another household travel survey of targetted neighborhoods in the DC area, and as you would expect, neigborhoods in DC had a higher bicycle mode share than those outside of DC. This is not a survey of all neighborhoods, but a selected group for the purposes of this study. (Heat map opportunity MVJantzen)

Daily Mode Share - All trips (regional average - 0.5%)

1. Friendship Heights - 2.4%
2. NY/RI Ave NE - 1.9%
3. E&W Falls Church - 1.7%
4. Beauregard Corridor - 1.0%
5. Dulles North - 0.8%
6. St. Charles/Waldor - 0.5%
7. National Harbor - --

Commute Mode share - (regional average - 0.6%)

1. NY/RI Ave NE - 3.9%
2. Friendship Heights - 3.7%
3. E&W Falls Church - 3.6%
4. Beauregard Corridor - 2.8%
5. Dulles North - 0.3%
6. St. Charles/Waldor - ---
7. National Harbor - --

What's immediately interesting is how there is a dumbell effect for commuting. The top daily mode share neighborhoods all see their numbers go up and tighten up (only 1.1% separate #1 from #4, as oppossed to 1.4%) but all the lowest daily mode share neighborhoods all go down. This probably shows that their liviing much farther from work, but only a little farther from the other places they go. 

Here are the results of last year's survey 

Daily Mode Share - All trips (regional average - 0.6%)

1. Logan Circle - 7.2%
2. Langley Park - 2.4%
3. Frederick, MD - 0.9%
4. Largo - 0.5%
5. White Flint - 0.5%
6. Shirlington - 0.4%
7. Columbia Pike - 0.3%
8. Woodbridge - 0.3%
9. Crystal City - 0.2%
10. Reston - 0.2%

Commute Mode share - (regional average - 1.1%)

1. Logan Circle - 10%
2. Langley Park - 6.6%
3. Largo - 2.8%
4. Frederick, MD - 1.5%
5. Columbia Pike - 1.3%
6. Shirlington - 0.9%
7. Crystal City - 0.7%
8. Reston - 0.7%
9. Woodbridge - 0.3%
10. White Flint - 0.2%

 

Comments

[charlie]

So, the biggest bike areas are Logan, Langley Park and then (NY Ave, Friendship Hts, Falls Churches, and "Beauregard") not sure what the last even is (arlington?)

Truely a bizzare mix. Immigrants and gays?

[washcycle]

Alexandria.

http://alexandriava.gov/BeauregardPlan

"gays"?? Does sexual orientation lead to more or less bike commuting? That would be news to me

[ACyclistInTheSuburbs]

There are as far as I can tell three main groups who use bikes for commuting 1. People who live in very dense areas with short commutes (logan circle, for ex) generally young and "hip". 2. Folks really into biking, with high quality bikes, who ride relatively long distances often on trails 3. Working class immigrants who ride short distances on cheap bikes, in areas that are often fairly bike unfriendly

[charlie]

"Logan Circle" which on their map includes almost all of dupont has very high gay populations. I'm sure you know that. Just as Langley has a lot of immigrants

RE: Friendship Hts, that would make sense - long distance rides. I couldn't figure that out before.

[Chris Eatough, BikeArlington Program Manager]

A note about the data that is relayed here: the list that is labeled as last years data was not all taken last year. The study last year was to add to the data from 2007 to 2008. So much of the data, including Columbia Pike, Shirlington and Crystal City, is from 2007/2008. Bike mode shares in those areas are likely to be considerably higher now, especially considering the improved bike infrastructure, introduction of Capital Bikeshare, and general redevelopment and urbanisation.