Montgomery County officials and bike advocates have said Capital Bikeshare’s slow start in Montgomery County reflected the decrease in trips the entire system sees once the weather gets colder.
Increasing numbers in March and April seem to back that up.
For Friday’s Bike to Work Day, Montgomery County released data saying the amount of Capital Bikeshare trips originating from county Bikeshare stations increased by 95 percent in April compared to March. The county reported 3,182 Bikeshare trips started at a county Bikeshare station in April, compared to 1,630 in March.
First quarter 2014 trip data released Thursday by Capital Bikeshare also shows the use of Bikeshare picking up in Bethesda. There were 791 trips that originated in March at one of Bethesda/Chevy Chase’s 12 Bikeshare stations, compared to 514 in February and 493 in January.
The county and Capital Bikeshare opened a 12-dock station at the Bethesda Metro Center Plaza on April 29 and a Capital Crescent Trail-adjacent station at River Road and Landy Lane earlier in April, bringing the total number of Bethesda-Chevy Chase stations to 14.
Since the county opened its first Capital Bikeshare stations on Sept. 26, many have been interested in whether Montgomery County residents and commuters would use the system. The system has been very popular in D.C. and Arlington. Together with the Alexandria and Montgomery County stations, Capital Bikeshare is approaching 7 million total trips.
Montgomery County’s clusters of Bikeshare stations — in Bethesda/Chevy Chase, Silver Spring/Takoma Park and Rockville/Shady Grove — are a big test of whether the membership-based bike transit system can work in a more suburban environment.
According to the trip data, 2,479 trips originated in Bethesda-Chevy Chase’s 12 stations from Oct. 1, 2013 to the end of the year. There were 1,778 trips that started at the stations in the first three months of 2014.
As you’ll see from the ranking data after the jump, the Friendship Heights Metro station Bikeshare has been the area’s most popular so far. Keep in mind the data covers the six-month period from October 2013 through March 2014 — there is no available station-by-station data for April. Also, not all of the stations were installed when the county officially launched Capital Bikeshare in late September:
1. Wisconsin Avenue & Wisconsin Circle (Friendship Heights Metro): 799 total bikeouts, 547 in fourth quarter 2013, 252 in first quarter 2014, 71 in January, 71 in Feberuary and 110 in March. Longest trip? Two hours and two minutes, ending at the same station.
2. Montgomery Avenue & East Lane: 642 total bikeouts, 382 in fourth quarter 2013, 260 in first quarter 2014, 63 in January, 87 in February and 110 in March. Longest trip? Three hours and four minutes, ending at the Bethesda Row station.
3. Bethesda Avenue & Arlington Road (Bethesda Row): 582 total bikeouts, 383 in fourth quarter 2013, 199 in first quarter 2014, 43 in January, 56 in February and 100 in March. Longest trip? Five hours and 23 minutes, ending back at the Bethesda Row station.
4. Battery Lane & Trolley Trail: 415 total bikeouts, 189 in fourth quarter 2013, 226 in first quarter 2014, 61 in January, 67 in February and 98 in March. Longest trip? 23 hours and 29 minutes. Somebody must have taken the bike home for the night.
5. Norfolk Avenue & Fairmont Avenue (Veterans Park): 411 total bikeouts, 234 in fourth quarter 2013, 177 in first quarter 2014, 55 in January, 55 in February and 67 in March. Longest trip? Eleven hours and 37 minutes! The bike was brought back to nearby Norfolk and Rugby.
6. Chevy Chase Drive & Offut Lane: 334 total bikeouts, 184 in fourth quarter 2013, 150 in first quarter 2014, 57 in January, 45 in February and 48 in March. Longest trip? One hour and 18 minutes, ending at the C&0 Canal and Wisconsin Avenue NW station in D.C.
7. Cordell Avenue & Norfolk Avenue: 298 total bikeouts, 188 in fourth quarter 2013, 110 in first quarter 2014, 42 in January, 22 in February and 46 in March. Longest trip? Five hours and 17 minutes, returning to the same station.
8. Norfolk Avenue & Rugby Avenue: 223 total bikeouts, 105 in fourth quarter 2013, 118 in first quarter 2014, 33 in January, 41 in February and 44 in March. Longest trip? Just nine minutes and 50 seconds, ending at Montgomery Avenue and Waverly Street.
9. Elm & 47th (Elm Street Local Park): 170 total bikeouts, 110 in fourth quarter 2013, 60 in first quarter 2014, 11 in January, 14 in February and 35 in March. Longest trip? Three hours and 21 minutes, which ended back at the Elm & 47th station.
10. Old Georgetown Road & Southwick (Suburban Hospital): 139 total bikeouts, 42 in fourth quarter 2013, 97 in first quarter 2014, 21 in January, 23 in February and 53 in March. Longest trip? One hour and seven minutes, ending at the Norfolk & Fairmont station in Woodmont Triangle.
11. Friendship Boulevard & Willard Avenue: 129 total bikeouts, 43 in fourth quarter 2013, 86 in first quarter 2014, 26 in January, 20 in February and 60 in March. Longest trip? Five hours and 16 minutes, ending at the same station.
12. Montgomery Avenue & Waverly Street: 115 total bikeouts, 72 in fourth quarter 2013, 43 in first quarter 2014, 10 in January, 13 in February and 20 in March. Longest trip? Two hours and 31 minutes, ending at the Elm & 47th station.
