Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Bicycling

Talking Headways Podcast: A Deep Dive Into Biking and Walking Census Data

2:12 PM EDT on May 12, 2014

We were so excited about the first-ever Census report exclusively on biking and walking that we devoted this entire episode of the Talking Headways podcast to an interview with its author, Brian McKenzie.

Bike commuting is up 60 percent since 2000, the Census shows, and people with low incomes are by far the biggest proportion of the riding public.

People who bike and walk are hungry for reliable data. While government statistics on how much we drive are easy enough to come by, where would you go to find out how much we're walking and biking? Strava? No. The Census is a better gauge of how active transportation patterns are shifting.

The Census data does have its limitations, and Brian talks candidly about those. But the data sheds light on who's walking and biking for transportation, and how that's changing in specific places.

Go on a dive deep with us. Here is a full half-hour just for you bike-ped dataheads. Enjoy. And talk to us in the comments.

PS: Talking Headways is available on iTunes or Stitcher or by signing up for our RSS feed.

PPS: Many thanks to those of you who have already donated to our spring pledge drive -- especially those who specifically mentioned that you enjoy the podcast. Keep it coming!

Tanya Snyder
Tanya became Streetsblog's Capitol Hill editor in September 2010 after covering Congress for Pacifica Radio’s Washington bureau and for public radio stations around the country. She lives car-free in a transit-oriented and bike-friendly neighborhood of Washington, DC.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Today's Headlines

Friday’s Headlines Got Served

Another day, another GOP lawsuit trying to overturn a Biden administration climate change rule.

April 19, 2024
Disability

Disabled People Are Dying in America’s Crosswalks — But We’re Not Counting Them

The data on traffic fatalities and injuries doesn’t account for their needs or even count them. Better data would enable better solutions.

April 19, 2024
Streetsblog Los Angelesbus lanes

LA: Automated Enforcement Coming Soon to a Bus Lane Near You

Metro is already installing on-bus cameras. Soon comes testing, outreach, then warning tickets. Wilshire/5th/6th and La Brea will be the first bus routes in the bus lane enforcement program.

April 18, 2024
electrification

Talking Headways Podcast: Charging Up Transportation

This week, we talk to the great Gabe Klein, executive director of President Biden's Joint Office of Energy and Transportation (and a former Streetsblog board member), about curbside electrification.

April 18, 2024
Car crashes

Why Does the Vision Zero Movement Stop At the Edge of the Road?

U.S. car crash deaths are nearly 10 percent higher if you count collisions that happen just outside the right of way. So why don't off-road deaths get more air time among advocates?

April 18, 2024
See all posts