JPB Foundation Measures Bike-Share Equity in the U.S.
When it comes to bike equity in the U.S., the focus on measuring participation rates for bike-share against population demographics misses several important points.
Most critiques highlight data showing that low-income people and people of color are underrepresented in bike-share annual membership and thus conclude that funding bike-share is inequitable and inherently questionable. While the data is accurate, the conclusion is suspect.
Using ridership as a measure of equity ignores the reality that bike-share programs get the highest ridership when they are in dense areas, matched with high-comfort bike lanes and connected to transit.
These three factors are often missing in low-income areas and communities of color...