Why I'm happy trails are crowded

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As a recent Seattle transplant I’m still blown away by the number of fellow cyclists I see every day, especially on concentrated arterials like the Burke-Gilman or the University Bridge. Just last week we counted more than 400 cyclists cross the University Bridge in two hours.

So I was a little surprised to learn that only 3% of Seattleites bike to work. Several blogs have in-depth information about the numbers. The great news is that Seattle dominates the region in terms of transportation choices – 36% choose chose not to drive alone!

I looked more carefully at the cycling numbers. First of all, the statistics only show our primary commute mode. This only counts people who bike to work most of the time – it excludes recreational riders, people who bike to the grocery store and those who commute a few times a week.

New York City cyclists have noticed a disconnect between the census data and their own counts. The census data have recorded a decrease in bike commute rates in New York while the NYC Department of Transportation and Transportation Alternatives recorded year-over-year increases of 26% and 28% respectively.

So the exact numbers are up for debate, but everyone agrees that biking is on the upswing in Seattle. As a cyclist and Cascade employee I’m glad more people are riding their bikes. But really, why do these numbers matter to me?

Sure the Burke is more crowded, but there is one great, selfish reason to be excited about more cyclists on the roads. Studies and studies show that the more cyclists on the road, the safer everyone is. Because, even though there are more cyclists than ever, nationally there is a 12% drop in cyclist fatalities from 718 in 2008 to 630 in 2009. The “safety in numbers” phenomenon, first introduced by Peter Jacobsen in 2003 and supported by mountains of data, is as simple as it sounds. The more cyclists on the road, the more likely drivers are to look for them, and the safer everyone is. In fact, more bicycle infrastructure and more cyclists make the roads safer for everyone, not just bikers. Cities like Copenhagen and Portland invested in cycling infrastructure and have seen dramatic increases in cyclists, but as opposed to a proportional or even non-linear increase in injuries, there has actually been an overall decrease in injuries. So thanks to the increase of cyclists the roads are safer than ever before, and will continue to grow more so the more we all ride.

Here’s to even more riders trying out Seattle’s burgeoning bicycling infrastructure!