After rising for several years, the percentage of commuters turning to bikes declined for the third year straight, U.S. Census Bureau figures show.
Experts offered several explanations for the nationwide decrease that has unfolded even as cities spent millions trying to become more bike-friendly.
Most obviously, lower gasoline prices and a stronger economy contributed to strong auto sales and less interest in cheaper alternatives, such as mass transit and bikes. The rise of ride-hailing services such as Uber and Lyft and electric scooters cut into bike commuting, said Dave Snyder, executive director of the California Bicycle Coalition.
I used to ride a bike to and from work each day. Got pretty fast at it, too. But I was in my 30s....
And we didn't even have bike paths and bike trails, let alone those spiffy green-painted bike boxes they're putting in at intersections. We looked and listened to avoid cars and trucks. Now, the kids ride around with earbuds plugged in. Paying attention is so old-school.
City officials around the country said they try to support bike commuters. Besides new bike lanes and trails, many cities added bike sharing programs, which give cyclists the ability to rent a bike to ride point-to-point or for the day.
Yes, they come up with a number of reasons why the number of bike-riders is declining despite the millions of dollars that city "leaders" have been spending on "bicycle infrastructure", but they kind of overlook a fairly important factor: when you hit your 50s or older, interest in riding a bicycle inexplicably declines. Gee, who'd have figured?
Surprise, surprise, surprise!
