City Releases New Biking Report Showing Record Trips by Bike and Improving Safety in Cambridge

The City of Cambridge has released the 2025 Biking in Cambridge Data Report summarizing how biking has changed across the city over the past two decades. The report is now available to view online and highlights record-high bike trips, increased use of Bluebikes, more children biking, and continued safety improvements as the bike network expands.

This report shows the progress made since the Bicycling in Cambridge Data Report 2023 and the Cambridge Bicycle Plan 2020 Update. Ongoing policies and legislation, such as the 2016 Vision Zero Policy, 2016 Complete Streets Policy, and the 2019 Cambridge Cycling Safety Ordinance (including 2020 amendments), continue to support improvements citywide.

Overall, the data shows that investing in high-comfort bikeways is helping more people than ever choose to bike in Cambridge.

Key Findings from the Report 

More people are biking than ever recorded

The number of people biking in Cambridge has more than tripled over the last 20 years, increasing by 250% between 2004 and 2024.

More kids are biking than ever before

Children’s biking has grown even faster. The number of kids biking in Cambridge has more than tripled over the last 10 years, with a 283% increase between 2014 and 2024.

Sidewalk biking is decreasing as the bike network becomes safer and more comfortable

As separated bike lanes and improved street designs are built, fewer people are riding on sidewalks. The rate of sidewalk biking has decreased by 10 percentage points since 2004.

Bluebikes use in Cambridge is at an all-time high

The number of Bluebikes trips that start or end in Cambridge has more than quadrupled since 2015, increasing by 343%. Nearly half of all Bluebikes trips systemwide — 46% in 2024 — now begin or end in Cambridge.

Biking is growing faster than the bike network is being built

Since 2004, bike network lane-miles increased by 128%, but the number of people biking increased by 250%. This means the growth in biking activity is occurring twice as fast as growth in the bike network.

Biking is becoming safer over time

Even as more people ride, the citywide bike crash rate has decreased by 41% since 2004, meaning a person biking today is less likely to be involved in a crash than in previous decades.

The full report provides detailed data and trends that will help guide future investments in street safety, mobility, and sustainable transportation across Cambridge.

View the full report here, and follow along with all Cambridge Department of Transportation projects by visiting www.cambridgema.gov/transportation.