DC is already considered a bike-friendly major market that features a growing percentage of residents who bike to work.
A project being pushed by the District Department of Transportation (DDT) looks to increase downtown’s bike-ability by installing protected bike lanes, which are physically seperated from general travel lanes, from downtown/national mall to the north end of downtown.
“This project will fill in the gap connecting downtown and the Pennsylvania Avenue lanes to the neighborhoods north of downtown, which have the highest rates of commuting by bicycle in the District,” according to DDT.
Those in opposition of the bike lanes argue their installation would eliminate parking and only cater to younger residents. While the DDT argues increased ridership and safety issues point to a bike lane system that must be improved.
DC neighborhoods fueled by bike commuters
A recent protected bike lane study from the DDT estimated that more than 10 percent of residents in the U Street and Shaw neighborhoods, which sit at the north end of downtown, commute by bike.
Additionally, it is estimated that more than 20 percent of residents in Bloomingdale, Petworth and Mount Pleasant commute by bike. These neighborhoods are within the city’s northwest quadrant.
According to Walk Score these three neighborhoods boast bike scores of 78, 91 and 79, respectively. Within the district the neighborhoods are considered the 15th, 17th and 10th most bikeable.
Another group of district neighborhoods are said to have bike scores that meet or exceed 90. These areas include: Dupont Circle, U-Street, Adams Morgan, Logan Circle-Shaw, Foggy Bottom-GWU-West End, H Street-NoMa, Capitol Hill and SW Ballpark-Navy Yard.
Depending on the source cited, anywhere from 3.53 percent to 3.88 percent of district residents commute by bike. These estimates don’t include residents that bike to reach a metro station. According to the U.S. Census’ American Community Survey, the average commute time in the district is 29 minutes.
