Mapping Shows How Bethesda Bikeshare Is Used

Mapping of 2013 Capital Bikeshare trip data shows trips made from Bethesda/Chevy Chase stations to other Bethesda stations and D.C., via M.V. Jantzen Trip mapping data shows Montgomery County Bikeshare clusters, via M.V. Jantzen

Public data blogger M.V. Jantzen used Capital Bikeshare trip data from 2013 to map how people are using the new bikesharing service in Bethesda and Montgomery County.

The data shows there were 4,675 trips taken from Montgomery County stations in Bethesda, Friendship Heights, Rockville, Silver Spring and Takoma Park since Capital Bikeshare opened in late September in the county.

Ridership levels grew until winter came, something county officials and bike advocates have said should be expected.

Montgomery’s efforts at Bikeshare are unique in that its system features a cluster of stations (Rockville/Shady Grove) more isolated than any other group of stations in the region. Jantzen’s mapping, seen above, showed that the Bethesda and Silver Spring clusters remained mostly isolated too.

About 73 percent of the bikeouts from Maryland stations resulted to trips to other stations in Maryland, with 26 percent to D.C. Just 21 trips from Maryland stations ended in Virginia (0.5 percent) and somebody rode from the Friendship Heights Metro to the Rosslyn Metro in 33 minutes. Someone also took a one hour and 48 minute-trip from the Crystal City Metro to Bethesda’s Battery Lane stop.

Jantzen also noticed trips that indicate a significant number of folks used Bikeshare bikes on the Capital Crescent Trail, though we can’t be sure:

The Bethesda/Chevy Chase cluster has an unusual flow of traffic to Georgetown. I’m going to guess most cyclists take the Capital Crescent Trail rather than busy and narrow Wisconsin Ave. (We don’t have GPS data for CaBi trips, so there’s no way to know which route riders took.)

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