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Data released from first automated bike count in Boston

The Transportation Department counted nearly 30,000 bike trips per day across 60 locations in September 2016.

The Boston Transportation Department today released data from its 2016 bike count program.  In late September, BTD counted an average of nearly 30,000 bike trips per day at over 60 locations across the City.  In some locations, bike traffic accounted for more than 15% of vehicles during peak commute times.

"Bicycling is a healthy and low-cost form of transportation and we are pleased that so many people are choosing bikes to get around the City,” said Boston Transportation Commissioner Gina N. Fiandaca.  “We are working to make bicycling more convenient, comfortable, and accessible to people throughout Boston, and these counts will help us to track our progress and plan for future enhancements to our bicycling programs."

Of the 60 sites counted in September, the following saw the highest average numbers of people riding bikes each day:

  1. Massachusetts Ave Bridge south of Back St: 3,081 bicyclists
  2. BU Bridge north of Commonwealth Ave: 1,957 bicyclists
  3. Commonwealth Ave west of Silber Way: 1,571 bicyclists
  4. Southwest Corridor Bicycle Path south of Heath St: 1,554 bicyclists
  5. Longwood Ave east of Pilgrim Rd: 1,348 bicyclists
  6. North Harvard St south of Soldiers Field Rd: 1,320 bicyclists
  7. Columbus Ave west of Massachusetts Ave: 1,314 bicyclists
  8. Brighton Ave east of St. Lukes Rd: 1,063 bicyclists
  9. Columbus Ave west of Holyoke St: 825 bicyclists
  10. Massachusetts Ave south of Columbus Ave: 797 bicyclists

BTD uses multiple data sources to measure the growth of bicycling in the City, including: commuting surveys, daily Hubway bike share use, and the annual bike count program.  In the past, its annual bike counts were conducted by volunteers at up to 31 locations during 2 hours of AM and PM peak commute times.  In 2016, a fully automated count system was introduced at 24 locations in June.  In September, the full program was implemented at 60 locations across the City for up to 72 hours at each location.

"Automated counts allow us to capture bike trips taken throughout the day and in all kinds of weather," noted Stefanie Seskin, BTD's Active Transportation Director.  "This better reflects where people are riding today and will help us to understand where they'll ride in the future."

More information about the 2016 count program, including daily summaries from every count location, can be found at boston.gov/2016-bike-counts.

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