BikeTown Year End Report Shows Program Spinning its Wheels - In a Good Way

More than 38,000 people used BikeTown bicycles to take more than 160,000 trips for a total of 312,690 miles since the program started last July. BikeTown says that is the the equivalent of 49 round trips between Portland, Oregon and Portland, Maine.

BikeTown, which launched July 19th, released a year-end report that showed, of the 38,000 people who took rides, 3,000 of them ended up buying memberships in the program.

The average trip was 1.57 miles and the average time out with a bicycle was 24 minutes.

"We are thrilled with how quickly BikeTown has been embraced by Portlanders and visitors alike," Portland Transportation Director Leah Treat, who oversees the program, said.

They also released a survey of 2,400 users that found:

• 26 percent said they were using BikeTown instead of driving a car;
• 64 percent said they were biking more;
• 71 percent said they rode a bicycle to reach a store or restaurant;
• 69 percent said they were more likely to use a business near a BikeTown station; and
• 56 percent said that bicycling opportunities had been a factor in the decision to visit Portland;

"This survey shows BikeTown makes it easy for people to use bikes instead of cars for short trips, reducing congestion, pollution and carbon emissions," Treat said. "We are incredibly proud that this new transportation option has helped increase biking in Portland while at the same time strengthening the local economy and supporting local business."

PBOT hopes to increase both the number of people using BikeTown and the number of trips taken in the coming year.

Graphic via Portland Bureau of Transportation