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<\/p>\nEvery year, I look forward to SANDAG\u2019s State of the Commute report\u2014mostly to see what\u2019s happening with biking in San Diego. This year\u2019s edition is no exception.<\/p>\n
One number jumps out: bike activity down 5% from 2024. But here\u2019s the thing\u2014the region now has 1,881 centerline miles of bikeways, with more than 331 miles added since 2016. The report lays out five classes of bikeways\u2014from multi-use paths to bike boulevards\u2014each designed to make riding more accessible for different skill levels.<\/p>\n
So is biking really becoming less popular? Or is something else going on?<\/p>\n
The report\u2019s own footnotes tell a different story. The dip isn\u2019t a sign that fewer people are biking. It\u2019s a sign that riders are spreading out, choosing safer routes, and the data system is still catching up to the region\u2019s infrastructure progress.<\/p>\n
The Numbers Are Down \u2013 By Design<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
So how does SANDAG actually count bikes? They\u2019re not tracking every rider\u2014that would be impossible. Instead, they rely on a small network of Eco-Counters placed along eight specific corridors that are used for this annual comparison. These are carefully selected to provide a consistent, long-term comparison point\u2014and they do that job well.\u00a0<\/p>\n
However, as SANDAG openly notes in Endnote 12:<\/p>\n
\u201cData validation and reconstruction were performed to address count gaps and anomalies caused by bicycle sensor malfunctions and roadway construction activities which affected data collection for University Avenue in 2025.\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s a remarkably transparent admission. The report tells us directly that one of their key counters was disrupted by construction\u2014and that analysts had to use historical estimates to fill in the gaps.<\/p>\n
In other words, the reported 5% decline isn\u2019t a definitive measure of regional ridership. It\u2019s a localized data point affected by real-world conditions. Credit to SANDAG for being upfront rather than sweeping it under the rug.<\/p>\n
The Bigger Picture: Bike Riding Still Way Up from 2019<\/p>\n
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Counters are located at: Coast Highway & Coastal Rail Trail, Bayshore Bikeway, Rose Canyon Bike Path, University Avenue, 30th Street, Fourth & Fifth Avenues, Mission Road & Inland Rail Trail, Landis Street.<\/p>\n
And here\u2019s the most important number in the entire bike section:<\/p>\n
Despite the year-over-year fluctuation, bike activity across those same eight monitored corridors is still 17% higher than pre-pandemic levels in 2019.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The 30th Street protected bike lanes in North Park\u00a0 saw a 15% ridership increase in 2025<\/a> \u2013 their fourth straight year of growth. And they\u2019re not alone. The Bayshore Bikeway and Rose Canyon Creek path see hundreds of thousands of riders annually. These aren\u2019t niche facilities; they\u2019re major commuter arteries moving people to work, school, and home every single day.<\/p>\n That\u2019s a remarkable recovery and growth story. Even with limited sensors and their hiccups, construction blockages, and riders redirecting to what they perceive to be safer or quicker local streets, the long-term trend is unmistakably positive. More people are choosing bikes\u2014and they\u2019re doing it on infrastructure that didn\u2019t exist a decade ago. So we need to do more.<\/p>\n What This Really Tells Us<\/p>\n SANDAG\u2019s 2025 report doesn\u2019t show a decline in bike popularity. It shows a system in transition: more infrastructure than ever\u20141,881 miles and counting\u2014smarter riders choosing safer local streets, and data that\u2019s refreshingly honest about its own limits. And through it all, the long-term trend is still up.<\/p>\n The report\u2019s footnotes and methodology aren\u2019t flaws\u2014they\u2019re evidence of careful, honest analysis. SANDAG is telling us that bike counting is complex, that construction happens, and that riders adapt.<\/p>\n And that adaptation is exactly what we want to see: people choosing bikes because the network is finally making it safe and convenient.<\/p>\n If you ride in San Diego, you already know the truth: more people are out there on bikes of all types. From the Bayshore Bikeway to the Coastal Rail Trail, on the new boulevards, or the neighborhood streets that feel calmer.<\/p>\n I see them on my daily commute\u2014and I\u2019ve personally served as an ambassador for neighbor bike purchases more times than I can count in the last year alone. With thousands of miles biked over the past year\u2014and gas, maintenance, and car-related fees simply nonexistent for me\u2014I\u2019ve recruited numerous San Diegans to take up biking for the first time, or to ride more than they ever have before.<\/p>\n And the benefits go beyond the wallet. Every person on a bike is one less car in front of you, one less tailpipe puffing emissions, and one more person getting fresh air and exercise. Beyond the cost savings, there\u2019s cleaner air, less car traffic, and the mental clarity that comes with a morning or evening ride. That\u2019s good for the city, good for the climate, and good for the rider.<\/p>\n The Bigger Picture<\/p>\n The numbers in this report, read carefully, back up what we\u2019re seeing on the ground. With 1,881 centerline miles of bikeways\u2014331+ built since 2016\u2014the region has built more lanes. And riders are using them, just not always where the old counters are looking.<\/p>\n That\u2019s not a problem. That\u2019s progress. And progress isn\u2019t a finish line\u2014it\u2019s a call to action. There are still gaps to close, streets to calm, and riders to welcome. But if this report shows us anything, it\u2019s that San Diego can move in the right direction. Let\u2019s keep the momentum\u2014for every rider, every neighborhood, and every mile ahead.<\/p>\n Want to dive deeper? The full 2025 State of the Commute report<\/a> is available on the SANDAG Open Data Portal, including interactive maps and detailed route-level data. Or explore the San Diego Regional Bike Map<\/a> to see where all 1,881 miles of bikeways are located.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Every year, I look forward to SANDAG\u2019s State of the Commute report\u2014mostly to see what\u2019s happening with biking…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":424802,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[74,76,75],"class_list":["post-424801","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-diego","tag-san-diego","tag-san-diego-headlines","tag-san-diego-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/424801","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=424801"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/424801\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/424802"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=424801"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=424801"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=424801"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-05-at-12.53.13-PM.png\")
Bike To Work Day 2022.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-05-at-12.54.34-PM.png\")
More than 331 miles of new bikeways have been built across the San Diego region since 2016\u2014including the newer Class V bike boulevards designed for safer, more comfortable riding.<\/p>\n