SAN DIEGO — Since the installation of separated bike lanes along 30th Street in North Park last year, they’ve proven useful for many cyclists who prefer moving around the neighborhood on bikes.
So how many people are using the new lanes?
CBS 8 sent reporter Brian White out to North Park to talk with cyclists.
“I honestly, like, never use my car now because I’m biking everywhere,” said Aixa Willoughby. “I’m working from home, so it’s great. I love it.”
“Every day, at least a couple times a day,” said Janice Williams. “I bike everywhere.”
The bike counting device on the corner of 30th Street and University Avenue gives a snapshot of bike and scooter riders that pass over nearby sensors.
Since its installation in January, the counter has a running total of just under 100,000 riders. After receiving reports of double-counting by the machine, CBS 8 observed it on Monday. October 24 from noon until 2:30 p.m. when the counting device recorded 55 riders passing by. We saw double-counting happen 12 times during that time, so the true number was 43 riders instead of 55 during the two-and-a-half hours we were there.
“The city has done their studies and confirmed this thing is very accurate,” said Will Rhatigan, Advocacy Director for the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition. “Of course, like with anything else, it’s going to miss some people. It’s going to double-count someone every once in a while. Nothing is perfect.”
Some business owners along 30th Street protested the bike lanes when they were installed because the city removed over 400 parking spaces to do so.
“Definitely have fewer customers coming in here and the ones that do will let me know that they drove around in circles for 15 minutes trying to find a parking spot,” said Liz Saba, owner of Presley and Company Fine Jewelers. “I feel like ridership has dropped considerably. I feel like we see about a third of the cyclists we saw before when they first installed the bike lane.”
The monthly numbers from the bike counter show a peak of over 12,000 riders in July and a steady decrease each month since then with less than 10,000 riders last month. CBS 8 reached out to the City of San Diego’s Transportation Department about the recent decrease in ridership, and they responded with the following statement:
“Seasonality, weather, and school schedule all play a factor in ridership patterns and frequency. For example, the year-to-date data show that ridership increased as the weather became more temperate and days became longer, with the highest ridership in July -- during summer break with long, sunny days. As schools came back into session and the region experienced multiple heatwaves, ridership frequency and patterns shifted. None of this is evidence of a year-over-year downturn in ridership. Additionally, this data includes both bikes and scooters (Shared Mobility Devices, SMD). The latest SMD regulations and contracts became effective at the end of July 2022, which resulted in fewer authorized providers and a cap on the number of SMDs deployed in the City. The new regulations also require parking/staging devices in corrals. As such, areas without corrals will temporarily see little to no SMD ridership until the corral network expansion occurs.”
Added Rhatigan from the Bike Coalition, “Every year, you’ll see the highest ridership in July and San Diego also has more people in it, in general, with the tourist season in the summer. You’ll see the lowest when it’s coldest in December or January.”
With the city continuing to invest in more bike lanes, will that investment eventually pay off with more ridership?
“I’m so confident that as we continue to build that network, riding a bike will become more practical for many people that aren’t comfortable riding on a shared roadway, but are comfortable on a separated bike-way,” said Rhatigan. “And we’ll really start to see those numbers increase.”
Regarding the role bicycle ridership plays in the city’s climate action goals, the City of San Diego sent CBS 8 the following statement:
“The City of San Diego's Climate Action Plan is about taking steps to make San Diego a more sustainable place to live, work and play as we face the challenges of climate change. Connecting the City with safe pathways for bicycles and alternative mobility options is an important component of our carbon reduction goals and climate action future.”
WATCH RELATED: Bike counter in North Park is showing incorrect readings
WATCH RELATED: How many people are using the controversial bike lanes in three San Diego neighborhoods