In a blog last month, I noted the February 8 count of 1,502 bikes at the Rosslyn Bikeometer seemed like a winter day record. Alas, it was not tops for the “Winter” (December 21-March 20), but it was the highest count for any February day since the counter was installed in April 2014.

That record proved to be short lived as counts of 1,609 (Feb. 23) and 1,559 (Feb. 24) lead a string of high ridership days to close out the month, making February 2017 the busiest bike February we’ve seen since we started our counter program in 2009. How busy?

Looking at four counters from around the County, the numbers were about 250% (or 2.5 times!) the previous 3-year averages for total February counts.

But even looking at the seven years of data we have for the Rosslyn Custis counter, February 2012 was the previous champ, with 20,580 bikes over 28 days. This February’s 27,842 was still 35% higher.

We’ve written in the past that D.C. area winters are not that wintry, and this year has been especially spring-like. Who knows what March and even 2018 will bring, but for now, people are hitting the trails and riding while the riding is good.