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Warm-Weather Cyclists Declined Slightly In 2012 According To DOT Counts
By
John Del Signore
Published Mar 22, 2013
Modified Mar 22, 2013
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By
John Del Signore
Published Mar 22, 2013
Modified Mar 22, 2013
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Is the city's cycling boom reaching a plateau? This week the DOT released its report [pdf] from 2012, which showed that the number of cyclists flooding in and out of Manhattan decreased slightly during April through October compared to 2011. (An average 45,300 cyclists were counted over several 18 hour periods last year, compared to 48,300 in 2011.) But overall, the total number of cyclists for the year increased slightly, with significant increases seen during the colder months, up 23% over 2011. So what's that about?
The DOT speculates that the increase may be attributed in part to a spike in bike commuting on cold days after Hurricane Sandy. But bicycle network expansion during 2012 may be another contributing factor, and the spike in cold weather cycling may indicate that more people are using bikes to commute, rather than for pleasure. All told, the number of cyclists has risen 58 percent above 2008 levels, and in the past six years 300 miles of "new and enhanced" bicycle routes have been added, according to the DOT.
The DOT's annual report is calculated using what's called "Bicycle Screenline Count," which tracks bicycle traffic entering and leaving the Manhattan core via the East River Bridges, the Staten island Ferry, each avenue at 50th Street and the Hudson River Greenway. Since 2008, DOT has set up 10 weekday counts between April and October, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Streetsblog argues that the DOT's method "remains a geographically-limited tool and doesn’t measure the full citywide cycling trend."
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bike lanes
cyclist
dot
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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