In celebration of National Bike Month and in anticipation of Bike Week L.A. (May 16-20) we’ve launched a new survey series entitled ‘Why I Cycle’. This series spotlights local bicyclists who have made the daring leap from car-dependent to car-free or at least car-light in Los Angeles.

Want to share your story? Point your browser to thesource.metro.net/cyclesurvey

The people have spoken and they love biking.

When asked, “How would you describe your typical biking experience?,” 69% of Why I Cycle survey respondents said “I love it!”

Twenty five percent said “I deal with it.” and only 2% said “I hate it. There has to be a better way.”

It’s interesting to compare these results to the answers to a similar question on our Why You Ride (or Don’t) surveys. In response to the question, “How would you describe your typical transit experience?, 48% responded with “I love it!,”  42% said “I deal with it,” and 11% said “I hate it.” On the driving side, only 15% said they “love” their car commute, while 56% said “I deal with it.” And 26% said “I hate it.”

One reason for this outpouring of cycle love could come down to simple economics. To wit:

Seventy eight percent of respondents say they spend less than $25. Meanwhile, 7% say they spend $25-$50, 10% spend $50-$100 and 0% report spending more than $100 per month on bike travel.

Compare that to our Why You Ride (or Don’t) results in which most transit users said they spend $50 to $100 each month and most drivers report spending between $100 and $300 on monthly transportation costs.