By Charles Pekow — The COVID pandemic not only triggered a surge in bike riding but also confined the surge primarily to metropolitan areas, especially suburbs, as suggested by a new report. Rural states, on the other hand, experienced declines.
An eBook titled Bike Boom or Bust? Metro & Statewide Bicycle Activity Trends from Streetlight Data, Inc. concludes that nationwide bicycle activity in the continental U.S. substantially increased in 2020 and 2021 and remained steady in 2022.
The report estimates a 24 percent jump in the number of bicycle trips from 2019 to 2020, another nine percent increase in 2021, and a stable figure in 2022. However, the growth was predominantly observed in the East, while several largely rural Mountain West states, including Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming, saw a decrease in bike trips. Nevertheless, 41 states witnessed an increase in the number of trips.
It’s important to note that Streetlight’s data included the District of Columbia but not Hawaii and Alaska. The detailed report can be accessed at https://learn.streetlightdata.com/ranking-us-bicycle-count-trends
