Based on data from the bike counter on the east side of the Spokane Street Bridge, ridership is at an all-time, post-pandemic high exceeding 40,000 bikes in July alone. As of today, over 215,000 riders have been counted with an annual increase of over 30% from 2025 counts.
Such a substantial increase is not arbitrary, but what’s driving it? “Back to work” initiatives at large Seattle employers may be driving some of it but those have been in place for several years now. The new East Marginal Way S bike path came on line in October of 2025. Is it possible that people feeling safer going to work is driving up the ridership? Partly, but some weekend days of the busiest of the week may also be contributing. Possibly the new waterfront trail is feeding people onto the Marginal Way bike path, as well. Maybe a rider sentiment survey could answer these questions for us but good, safe infrastructure has been shown to entice ridership in many cities around the world. Seattle is likely no different.
We can see a marked increase in counts for 2026 reaching almost 200,000 when we compare them to the years going back to 2020 .
Comparing ridership by months over the past seven years, we can see a steady increase in counts for each month with 2026 significantly outpacing previous years.
Overall, ridership has increased by over 30% for most months in 2026 over the previous year. We can also see the large jump in February counts resulting from Alex Pretti Memorial Ride held in February.
It will be interesting to watch to see if these number are sustained or increase into the cold, wet months. And if the East Marginal Way bike path is driving these numbers – if better, safer bike routes are drawing out riders – we should strongly advocate for better bike infrastructure within West Seattle to enable people to feel safe getting to East Marginal Way.
It’s time again to ride from Seattle Street to Portland Street in West Seattle! Join us for our 14th annual riding of this event starting at Hamilton Viewpoint Park in West Seattle on a 10.2-mile route at a leisurely 10-12 mph pace! Register at the start. We invite and welcome everyone including people of all ages, languages, ethnicities, genders, races, and abilities. Riders under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
West Seattle Bike Connections is collecting signatures to petition for dead-ending 23rd Ave SW to cars where it meets the West Seattle Bridge Trail at Delridge. This intersection creates unsafe conditions for both cyclists and drivers as cars turn from 23rd onto Delridge.
Drivers turning right from 23rd often block the bridge trail while waiting to merge into fast-moving traffic headed for the West Seattle Bridge on-ramp. Left turns are also dangerous due to limited visibility of cars coming from West Marginal Way and Spokane Street. In either direction, drivers frequently overlook cyclists on the trail. Many roll through the stop sign to keep momentum for merging, adding to the risk.
