Nearly 15,000 District of Columbia residents biked to work each day in 2013. The District makes cycling in the city easier with nearly 70 miles of bike lanes, 60 miles of bike trails, and six miles of cycle tracks (bike lanes physically separated from car traffic).
Unfortunately, people in cars, including the 124,000 District residents who regularly drive to work, can sometimes make a bicyclist’s commute hazardous.
READ ALSO: Get Ready for Bike to Work Day 2016
So enjoy the amenities on Friday, May 20: DC’s official Bike to Work Day. Find one of the 83 pit stops across DC, Maryland, and Virginia for refreshments, raffles and more. But remember that your healthy commute can be dangerous too.
There were 829 reported crashes involving bicyclists in 2014, up from just 652 in 2013, according to reports from the District of Columbia Department of Transportation.
Stretches along 14th Street, Northwest, proved to be the most dangerous for cyclists in 2013, with three of the top seven intersections of reported bicycle collisions.
Here are the top three. Each saw five crashes involving bicyclists in 2013:
- Levis Street and Orren Street, NE (near Gallaudet University)
- 16th Street and New Hampshire Avenue, NW (near U Street Metro Station)
- 14th Street and Columbia Road, NW (near Columbia Heights Metro Station)
The following four intersections are equally as dangerous, citing four crashes involving bicyclists:
- 8th Street and F Street, NE (near Maryland Ave NE)
- 15th Street and M Street, NW (near Scott Circle)
- 14th Street and Quincy Street, NW (near Georgia Ave Petworth Metro Station)
- 14th Street and Florida Avenue, NW (near Meridian Hill Park)
If you’re biking to work or as a tourist today, or any other day, be alert!
