D.C. is Tops for Investing in Bicycling and Walking

The District of Columbia spends more per capita to promote biking and walking than any other city in the U.S, according to a recent report from the Alliance for Biking & Walking.

D.C. has the second highest bicycling and walking levels among U.S. cities, just behind Boston, but ahead of San Francisco, Seattle, New York City and Portland.

The District has the second-highest share of commuters who walk to work, trailing only Boston, and the seventh-highest share of commuters who bike to work; 13.4 percent of D.C. residents bike or walk to work.

“I have made it clear I want the District of Columbia to be the most sustainable, walkable city in the nation," said Mayor Vincent C. Gray in a prepared statement. "It’s great to see where we stand among our peers and that we are making real progress toward that goal.”

Where most states spend just 1.6 percent of their federal transportation dollars on bicycling and walking, for a total of $2.17 per capita, D.C. spends approximately $9.82.

Georgetown has benefited from investments in biking. The neighborhood now boasts five bikeshare stations, a little more than a year after Capital Bikeshare launched in D.C.

Even with its high rates of waking and biking, D.C. is still among the safer cities for those modes of getting to work. The District has the sixth-lowest fatality rate for cyclists and pedestrians and is the fourth-safest city to bike in and the seventh-safest for walking.

“It is easier and safer to bike and walk in the District today thanks to the investment we have made in bike lanes, bikesharing, pedestrian crossings, education and enforcement," said DDOT Director Terry Bellamy in a prepared statement.

The District's investments have benefited residents across socio-economic levels. According to the report, Washington, D.C. along with San Francisco, and New York City have the most even income distribution among people who walk to work.

The full report accompanies this article in a PDF.