Photo of The Day: Women Who Bike Commute in Tucson On The Rise

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by Mark Stephens on Fri Sep 23, 2011 - (1) Comments

Mother rides her bike with her son near University of Arizona
A mother and son get around on two wheels at University of Arizona

Progress comes in many forms, and it seems like more people riding bicycles is a reasonable sign of it. Michael Mckisson of TucsonVelo.com, who let us share this photo, just posted a report that bike commuting for 2010 in Tucson, Arizona saw an impressive resurgence by 58 percent from 1.9 percent in 2009 to 3 percent in 2010. This also moved Tucson to the 6th position on the list of top U.S. bicycle commuting cities.

Before jumping to the conclusion that this must be because of gas prices, reconsider. 2008 brought Tucson the highest cost in gasoline, and in 2010 it was a buck-per-gallon less than what it was in 2008. Rather, Matthew Zoll, Bicycle and Pedestrian Program Manager for the Pima County Department of Transportation, says the boost in ridership is likely from a number factors: a regional education program, improved bike routes, new shared use paths, and the construction of The Loop, which is a 55-mile path around Tucson.

Another cool fact that, oh, must have something to do with it: 35 percent of bicycle commuters are women, which is up from 27 percent.

Get more of the story at Tucson Velo: tucsonvelo.com/news/tucsons-percentage-of-bike-commuters-leaps-in-2010/9891

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Chris
0 # Chris 2011-10-05 09:52
It's great that so many people are commuting by bike. I think the numbers might be even higher than the data suggests, though. In my case, I drive for the first part of my commute, but I have a folding bike that I keep in my trunk and ride every day. But because I don't ride the whole way, I'm not sure these surveys count me as a bike commuter, even though I very much identify as one, and do most of my during the day errands by bike too.
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