Despite large investments in bicycle infrastructure (paths, lanes and tracks), Vision Zero , and bicycle purchases following COVID , bicycle ridership is decreasing and injuries are increasing in Santa Barbara – and much of the rest of the United States.
Ridership. The number of people bicycling to work has fallen to the lowest levels since statistics were first collected in 2009. The downward trend began in 2015, long before COVID and the increase in people working from home. Rather, early in covid, bicyclists joyously announced a surge in ridership.
The fall in commuting to work does not appear to be accounted for by either the increase in people working from home. According to Eco-counter (the company that makes bicycle counters), compared the year before COVID (2019), the graph below shows surge in 2020, and a fall to below baseline in 2023. In the West Coast of the United States, cycling decreased 3% from 2022 to 2023.
