SafeTrack’s Early Surge: Cycling!
Will people take to biking when the rail system isn't operating smoothly?
With the predictions of snarled traffic and jammed trains, one of the big questions about the effects of Metro’s SafeTrack campaign is starting to be answered: Would people take to biking to avoid the rail system? The early returns are in and answer appears to be YES! No matter how you slice the data, Arlington (which bore the brunt of Surge 1 with single-track service between two of its stations, East Falls Church and Ballston) saw record riderships all week long along its major bike commuting routes. Some counters were more than 90% above the June 2015 weekday averages.
Counts Compared to June 2015 Averages
Date | Bikeometer (Lynn & Lee Hwy.) | Custis Trail (Top of Rosslyn Hill) | Mt. Vernon Trail (Airport, near FMR Intersection | W&OD Bon Air (West of Custis Intersection) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Average June 2015 Weekday | 1337 | 1410 | 2077 | 1457 |
Mon., 6-6-16
No. above avg. % above avg. |
2325
988 74% |
2739
1329 94% |
2945
868 42% |
2505
1048 72% |
Tue., 6-7-16
No. above avg. % above avg. |
2390
1053 79% |
2724
1314 93% |
2854
777 37% |
2448
991 68% |
Wed., 6-8-16
No. above avg. % above avg. |
2331
994 74% |
2677
1267 90% |
2911
834 40% |
2357
900 62% |
Thu., 6-9-16
No. above avg. % above avg. |
2346
1009 75% |
2645
1235 88% |
3174
1097 53% |
2333
867 60% |
Fri., 6-10-16
No. above avg. % above avg. |
2145
808 60% |
2332
922 65% |
2839
762 37% |
2235
778 53% |
Not only were the counts well above last year’s averages, the counts were all-time records across the board. The tables below show the Top Ten Five-Day Work Week counts for the same counters above. Again, the biggest leaps were along the Rosslyn-Ballston Corridor, with three counters breaking the previous records by 22%-37% margins. Previous record breaking was usually less than a single percentage point, and rarely more than five points. But even the Mt. Vernon Trail had its best week ever, improving on the old mark by 7.7%.
Top Ten Counts for 5-Day Work Weeks, Since April 2014
Rosslyn Bikeometer (Custis)
Dates | Count | % over next highest |
---|---|---|
June 6-10, 2016 | 11,537 | 30.08% |
May 11-15, 2015 | 8,869 | 5.03% |
June 2-6, 2014 | 8,444 | 1.43% |
May 23-27, 2016 | 8,325 | 2.64% |
June 23-27, 2014 | 8,111 | 0.9% |
September 14-18, 2015 | 8,039 | 0.22% |
August 25-29, 2014 | 8,021 | 0.15% |
May 4-8, 2015 | 8,009 | 0.35% |
July 28-August 1, 2014 | 7,981 | 0.53% |
May 19-23, 2014 | 7,939 |
Rosslyn Scott Street (Custis)
Dates | Count | % over next highest |
---|---|---|
June 6-10, 2016 | 13,117 | 36.62% |
May 11-15, 2015 | 9,531 | 1.25% |
May 23-27, 2016 | 9,413 | 2.72% |
June 2-6, 2014 | 9,164 | 0.01% |
September 14-18, 2015 | 9,163 | 2.59% |
July 28-August 1, 2014 | 8,932 | 0.40% |
May 19-23, 2014 | 8,896 | 0% |
May 16-20, 2016 | 8,896 | 0.92% |
May 30-June 3, 2016 | 8,815 | 1.72% |
September 21-25, 2015 | 8,666 |
Airport South (Mt. Vernon)
Dates | Count | % over next highest |
---|---|---|
June 6-10, 2016 | 14,723 | 7.71% |
May 11-15, 2015 | 13,669 | 1.86% |
May 25-29, 2015 | 13,419 | 3.93% |
August 24-28, 2015 | 12,912 | 0.49% |
August 25-29, 2014 | 12,849 | 0.25% |
July 20-24, 2015 | 12,817 | 0.37% |
July 28-August 1, 2014 | 12,770 | .20% |
June 29-July 3, 2015 | 12,744 | 1.74% |
May 23-27, 2016 | 12,526 | 0.31% |
August 4-8, 2014 | 12,487 |
Bon Air West (W&OD)
Dates | Count | % over next highest |
---|---|---|
June 6-10, 2016 | 11,878 | 22.35% |
May 25-29, 2015 | 9,708 | 0.02% |
June 2-6, 2014 | 9,706 | 0.42% |
May 11-15, 2015 | 9,665 | 5.57% |
May 23-27, 2016 | 9,155 | 0.02% |
July 28-August 1, 2014 | 9,153 | 1.28% |
June 23-27, 2014 | 9,037 | 0.07% |
July 20-24, 2015 | 9,031 | 0.26%% |
August 25-29, 2014 | 9,008 | 0.31% |
August 4-8, 2014 | 8,980 |
We’ll continue watch the numbers as one surge gives way to the next. Will the increases stay, grow, or even falter as people filter back to other modes? Will the Mt. Vernon Trail see a double-digit bump once Blue Line Service is affected? We’ll see. One thing is for sure. For bike advocates, these numbers are off to a great start!
Sam Kittner/Kittner.com
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