TheWashCycle

Update, CaBi reduces congestion by 4%, not 2-3%, bringing almost $200M in annual benefits

Back in July, 2015 a report that bike sharing didn't do much for congestion or air quality made some headlines on some more wonky media. But the authors own conclusions undermined that reporting

Ricci found that bike-share users don’t bike instead of driving so much as they bike instead of taking transit or walking. She writes that, “although Dublin bikes users reported considerable behavioral change, the prevailing trend showed a large modal shift (80.2 percent) from sustainable modes of travel to the bicycle, particularly from walking (45.6 percent) and including transfer from bus (25.8 percent) and rail (8.8 percent).” Still, nearly 20 percent of Dublin bikes users say they now drive less. Other European and American cities saw far lower rates of mode shift. In London only 2 percent of users shifted away from cars. In Lyon, France, and Washington, D.C., it’s 7 percent.

It certainly seems there is SOME reduction in driving and that is likely to lead to SOME reduction in congestion. And about a month later a pair of researchers from DC and the University of Richmond did a study showing that having 7% of CaBi users drive less results in about a 2-3% reduction in driving.  They determined this by looking at traffic data over a 2 year period during which bike share docks were being installed and comparing the traffic before and after installation. 

Our empirical results indicate that the average treatment effect of the presence of bikeshare docks is a 2 to 3% reduction in traffic congestion. In addition to these results, we also find evidence of a potential spillover effect, in which docks increase congestion in neighboring locations, perhaps as they lead drivers to find alternative routes to avoid bicycle traffic.

This fall they revised their study, and the news is better 

Estimates from our preferred models indicate a 4% reduction in congestion due to the presence of a bikeshare...This would reduce annual congestion costs for Washington area automobile commuters by approximately $57 per commuter, and total costs by $182 million...[and]...In terms of social benefits, a 4% reduction in traffic congestion for our study area would imply an annual benefit of roughly $1.28 million from reductions in congestion-induced CO2 emissions

This value ignores any benefits from cleaner air (like NOx emissions), private cost-savings from modeswitching and any health benefits that may accrue to bicycle commuters. They also found that congestion mitigation occurs primarily in areas with relatively high congestion and that there was actually almost no spillover effect

Better identification indicates that there is little or no congestion spillover from adjacent treatment.

All good news, and should add to the rapid development of bikesharing in just about every urban area in America and the world. 

Graphic from my bank

Occasionally my bank has information on how to save money. The other day they suggested that I consider biking in order to save money. What a novel idea. The suggestion included a link to this graphic. 

Total cost of car crashes each year: $871 billion

Add this to the list of hidden costs of driving.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) put a price on something more deadly: the cost of carnage on the nation’s roadways. It says the total annual cost is $871 billion. That number includes $277 billion in economic costs and $594 billion in harm from the loss of life and the pain and decreased quality of life due to injuries.

Crashes involving pedestrians and bicyclists accounted for 7 percent of the loss and cost $19 billion.

Americans buy only about $100 billion worth of car insurance per year (of which only a portion is paid out in claims). So the rest is a hidden cost/subsidy paid for by individual victims, charity, health insurance, and the government. 

Tuesday Afternoon Stay Home - Sandy

8665140Good afternoon

• DDOT finally plans to start putting ads on CaBi stations, which could bring in several million dollars for CaBi. "It could well pay for all operating costs combined,"... "Arlington County does not currently allow outdoor ads like those D.C. is seeking. Hamilton said county staffers are interested in changing those rules to allow ads on the bike stations and on bus shelters. Additionally, Hamilton said, the county wants to get a systemwide sponsorship of the bikesharing program the way New York City has done with its Citi Bike program sponsored by Citibank and MasterCard. "We'd love to see it and get the revenue," he said."
• Cyclist nearly dodges being victim in single car crash. Blames speeding.
• CaBi closed for "hurricane". So did the airport this morning, even though it was just barely raining, trapping my Mother-in-Law here for two more days. 
• More on the Penn Ave cycletrack protest. 
• GGW documents progress on the L Street Cycletrack. I rode it this weekend, and I like what I see so far. 
• UVA is a new honorable mention Bicycle Friendly University. 
• "the head-shakers and finger-waggers have it exactly wrong. Yes, the Armstrong scandal revealed systemic cheating in a sport that was corrupt to its core—a decade ago. In the landscape of professional sport right now, cycling may actually be one of the cleaner sports around." Also, this.  
• The Netherlands is considering heated bike lanes. When I was in Iceland, I seem to recall that all the roads were heated by geothermal energy. 
• This is a weird article, especially for a bike blog, but here is the relevant part “Bike rides,” he says, “are reimbursed half a kroner per kilometer.”
• Compact chainless bicycle. 

Wednesday Afternoon Commute - Empty Parking Garage

Good afternoon

• This could result is some very interesting data: "Howard University recently opened the Transportation Safety Data and Research Center as part of its School of Engineering. At the center, students and faculty will work with the D.C. Department of Transportation to study traffic data such as crashes, traffic speeds, traffic volumes, commercial vehicles, and pedestrian and bicycle counts."
• DDOT is presenting plans for the intersection of 15th, W and Florida to ANC 1B. Part of this includes extending the 15th Street cycletrack north. 
• The Crystal City Diamond Derby is this Saturday. "Bike enthusiasts can participate in a nine-mile bike ride that culminates in an afternoon of music, art, drinks and amateur bike races in an empty parking garage. If you missed the first event in March then you missed what was perhaps one of the most unusual cycling events of the year."
• The Green Festival is this Saturday and riding a bike there gets you in for free. 
• Also on Saturday, Bicycle Space is sponsoring a bicycle parade. 
• The Economic Benefits of Bicycling.

Arrive by bicycle - 15% discount

Photo by M.V. Jantzen

You may need to go to the original photo here, but the sign in the bottom left corner reads "Arrive by Bicycle 15% Discount." Not sure how that's enforced.

Thursday Morning Commute - Solar

I was thinking about CaBi station solar panels. They must be massively overdesigned for the summer since they can easily operate all winter, which means they're making more power than they're using. I was trying to think of how one would use that power. The only think I could think of was a USB port that would let people recharge they're electronic devices. 

• goDCgo is offering hotels a Hotel Services package. "Through the bulk membership program, hotels can receive a discount ranging from 10 to 50 percent off the normally $7 cost of a 24-hour membership to Capital Bikeshare. Along with any bulk purchase, hotels will also receive free bike helmets, DC bike maps and brochures promoting the program."
• Gallaudet University now has a CaBi station.
• WABA's bike prom is back.
• The Maryland SHA wants to widen a sidewalk along Wisconsin Avenue in Chevy Chase. "The 8-foot-wide sidewalk on Wisconsin Avenue between Grafton Street and Bradley Lane would accommodate pedestrians, bicyclists and disabled users, said David Buck, a spokesman for SHA." But it would require the removal of 53 trees unless the Chevy Chase Club agrees to provide land for the purpose. I'm dubious on the usefulness of this sidewalk to cyclists, but I support good pedestrian facilities. While I'm sympathetic to the loss of trees, I think Sarah Morse, co-president of the Little Falls Watershed Alliance is forgetting that sidewalk use isn't always optional. ‘Who is going to want to walk on that sidewalk if there isn’t any shade?’” she asks. I don't know, perhaps someone without a car? I hope they find a good compromise.
• The definitive guide to biking to the many DC area free outdoor movies.
• A study published in the magazine of the Transportation Research Board shows that people who bike spend less per trip at businesses, but make more trips for more total spending. "People who drive to these establishments spend more per visit; but bike riders visit more often and therefore spend more overall"

Capital Bikeshare survey shows success and room for growth

Yesterday, Capital Bikeshare (CaBi) released the results of their 2011 Member Survey, and the data gathered shows that Capital Bikeshare was helping users expand their transportation options and save time and money while meeting regional goals of reduced congestion and mode-shifting towards a healthier and cleaner mode.

Though no question about overall satisfaction with Capital Bikeshare was asked, a majority of users rated CaBi features highly (4 or 5 on a 5-point scale) in every category and in some cases as many as 75% of users did; and there are some obvious reasons to be satisfied. Users reported that since joining CaBi they have saved an average of $819 a year, which is quite a bargain for a $75 annual fee, assuming that CaBi is one of the main drivers for that savings (total cost per year is likely higher due to overage fees, but certainly not as high as $819). In addition, CaBi gave them greater mobility, with nearly half of all respondents reporting that with CaBi they made a trip that they otherwise would not have. We already knew that users are saving time over transit trips, but since many users are shifting from walking, it's pretty safe to assume they're saving time too. 

But users aren't the only winners. DC and Arlington is achieving some of it's goals too, including congestion reduction, and greater use of cleaner, healthier modes.

Driving is a major source of pollution and congestion, and CaBi helped to shift drivers from cars to cleaner modes. 40% of CaBi users reported using a car less often since the program started and 94% of them said that CaBi played some part in that. As a result the estimated drop in total VMT is about 5 million miles per year. In addition more than 50% of respondents reported using taxis less often and 14% reported using car sharing less often.

As for congestion, 60% of all CaBi users reported using the bikes for commute trips when congestion is at its worst. And in contrast to driving, where almost no one reported driving more since getting CaBi, some of the reduction in transit use and walking was offset by people who used transit or walking more. So while 41% of respondents said they drove less, and none said more, only 31% of people reported walking less while 15% reported walking more. For Metrorail it was 47% less and 6% more and metro bus was 39% less and 5% more, all of which indicates a larger overall shift from driving than from other modes. Specifically during the commute, 57% of people reported changing their commute, with 44% reporting biking to work more, 10% reported riding transit more and 10% walking more.

Even shifting from transit to biking is still a win. That represents an increase in public health, faster loading and unloading, less crowding and less fuel use. In addition, 80% of respondents reported biking more and most of them reported that CaBi played an important role in that. 

Another benefit was that CaBi's induced trips all occurred within the District or Arlington. Those trips were for social/entertainment, restaurants, errands and shopping. Which means that CaBi likely helped local businesses to capture more business from members. 

And perhaps most interestingly, CaBi has been making money lately. Fot the last month on record, CaBi made $400,000 in revenue of which $120,000 is above operating costs. 

But there is still room for growth. Based on concerns about dockblocking they believe it's clear that there is more of a market for CaBi commuting than can currently be supported.

And there are demographic shifts that are occurring that should grow usership. Women haven't joined the program as much as men have (only 45% of members are female), but since April 2011, the membership has shifted to a nearly equal split of 51% men and 49% women, suggesting either that women are now more aware of the program or that the program is more attractive to women now that it was at the start. The program is also overwhelmingly white (81% vs 53% for regional employees) but again it's shifting as non-whites have comprised 23% of recent members. And while nearly a third of original members owned a bicycle when they joined, only 22% of the most recent members owned a bike, indicating that the program is attracting more members who were not regular bike users.

Other information to come out of the survey includes

• Not only do users say that CaBi makes a business more appealing but the people say that most often are the same people who are most likely to say that CaBi induced them to take new trips
• CaBi saved all users a total of $15,000,000 a year.
• The survey was not totally random and they acknowledge that the average respondent does not match the average member. Part of that may be because the survey was online only. 
• They're planning a second survey, and might ask about car ownership - and whether CaBi helped them to sell a car, crashes and ownership. 
• 10% of members don't wear helmets because they don't need to. But others don't because they don't have a helmet with them or that carrying a helmet is not convenient. 
• The 5 million miles of reduced driving is probably under-reported because they didn't ask about family members or people who got rid of/didn't buy a cars in part due to CaBi.
• There is no talk of raising prices, despite the large value of the program to users. 
• Most respondents were from DC (about 4000 vs. 300 from Arlington). 
• CaBi has sold about 300 helmets so far. Before selling them, they did talk to one store owner - who expressed no concerns. No other store owners have contacted them either. 
• There is quite a bit of churn in membership. This is largely believed to be a function of the high student membership (10%) and the transient nature of DC. 

Friday Afternoon Commute - user fee

Good afternoon

• Oregon toys with the idea of bicycle user fees, even though they've been tried before and the cost to administer it is greater than the revenue generated. And they discourage cycling. 
• Bike theft in DC has been dropping since 2007 and moving from NW to Capitol Hill.
• Free bike clinic on how to buy a bike.  
• The Green Lane project kicks off. "In Washington, D.C., a city survey found bicycling on 15th Street more than doubled since a two-way green lane opened there in 2010. The survey said more cycling crashes occurred, but with ridership up, the accident rate held steady."

Thursday Morning Commute - Bamboo

Good morning

• Not only was one of the winners of the 2012 Clinton Global Initiative University Commitment to Action a GWU student, but also a Poolseville High School graduate. "[Jon Torrey] and two fellow students built a number of bicycles made out of bamboo for Bicycles for Humanity, which aims to provide bicycles to communities in development counties. The bicycles are designed to be made cheaply and easily for communities in central Africa, where other means of transportation is limited. Former President Clinton said during a March 30 presentation at George Washington that the bicycles, dubbed Panda Cycles, had “staggering potential,"