700 new e-bikes coming to D.C. in part of Bowser’s downtown push

Another 700 new electric bikes will be gracing Washington D.C. streets in the coming weeks as Mayor Muriel Bowser tries to coax residents downtown.

In a press conference, Ms. Bowser announced the partnership with Capital Bikeshare to introduce the new bikes alongside a new protected bike lane that runs through Northwest D.C. between U Street and Pennsylvania Avenue.

“It represents how far we’ve come and our transportation network. When I took office, for example, in 2015, there were 63 miles of bike lanes and fewer than 6 miles of protected bike lanes. Now we have over 108 miles of bike lanes and more than 30 miles of protected bike lanes,” Ms. Bowser said.

Hundreds of new bikes are expected to show up within the next month at many of the Capital Bikeshare charging stations around the city.

Alexandria and Arlington are getting new e-bikes as well. According to the Ms. Bowser at the Monday press conference, the two Virginia suburbs will receive a total of 150 bikes on top of the District’s 700.

The push to bring business back downtown comes after the COVID-19 pandemic severely limited the number of workers commuting to work each day. The mayor hopes the addition of more e-bikes will bring foot traffic back downtown.

The District Department of Transportation plans to bring the total number of e-bikes in the city up from 1,000 to 2,500 in the next few years.