Dive Brief:
Bike activity in the U.S. was up 10% in the summer of 2021 compared to 2019 and was virtually flat compared to the summer of 2020, according to a report this month from Streetlight Data. The report relies on data from Streetlight’s InSight Multimode Metrics, which records and analyzes ridership of different transportation modes.
The increase in cycling was a nationwide trend, but some cities showed greater increases than others. Atlanta and Las Vegas, for example, saw bicycling traffic rise by 25% in 2021 compared to 2019 despite showing modest gains in 2020, while the mid-sized cities of Birmingham, Alabama; Charleston, South Carolina; Jackson, Mississippi; and Little Rock, Arkansas all had gains of 50% or more.
Between 2020 and 2021, some West Coast and Midwest cities actually saw cycling activity decrease and some large cities even saw a decrease compared to 2019. Still, Streetlight Data called the findings “Good news for cycling overall” and evidence of the role new infrastructure plays in promoting biking.
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