Georgetown Public Policy Review
Policy Shaping Our Future
Capital Bikeshare, and bikeshare programs in many other US cities, have been criticized for not doing enough to reach low-income communities and minority groups. Current efforts to increase Capital Bikeshare’s reach have seen limited success because planners and policy makers may be missing a key point – that culture matters.
Bicycling is exploding across the United States, and Washington, DC is no exception: the share of bicycle commuters in the District has grown by 315 percent since 1990 and overall ridership rose 80 percent between 2007 and 2010. This growth is tied to the metro area’s commitment to expanding trails and bike lanes and, in large part, to the rapid expansion of Capital Bikeshare.