Commuters are turning to Washington, D.C.’s bike sharing service in record numbers amid the debilitating delays caused by the metro SafeTrack repairs.
The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) said during the first week of SafeTrack repairs, Capital Bikeshare had 89,436 riders, a 6 percent increase over Bikeshare’s previous record-setting week. The government promoted a Bike To Work Week in May, 2015, which held the record until Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority began its 10-month repair, reports WUSA9.
In advance of SafeTrack, the Capital Bikeshare program slashed fares, charging only $2 to take a bike out for up to 30 minutes. The reduced pricing will stay in place throughout the SafeTrack repairs, offering commuters a cheaper alternative to Uber, buses and taxi cabs. Since the reduced fare went into effect, District officials say daily ridership has surged from roughly 600 trips a day to 1,300.
“Overall bike ridership is also up,” reads the DDOT statement. “Weekday ridership is 31 percent higher on the 15th street cycle track with almost 600 more bike trips per day compared to June 2015. The Key Bridge crossing to and from North Arlington shows a 42 percent increase in weekday bike trips with 900 more trips per day for the first two weeks of June compared to June 2015 weekdays.”
One drawback to the increased usage of Capital Bikeshare is that parking during rush-hour commutes is becoming trickier. Some riders find when they get to their location they have nowhere to leave the bike. The DDOT said it will add more areas to park at high traffic locations to ease the burden on residents opting to use the bikes. (RELATED: Officials Warn DC Metro’s Next Phase Of Repairs Will Cause MAJOR Headache)
“DDOT will continue to utilize all resources to alleviate traffic impacts during the yearlong SafeTrack maintenance initiative,” the statement read. “To support the growing ridership, additional morning Corral Service is available at 17th St & K St NW in Farragut Square. DDOT is also expanding bikesharecapacity at Eastern Market Metro Station during the second surge of SafeTrack.”
The next phase of SafeTrack repairs kicks off this weekend with a 16-day shutdown of three lines and two stations.
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