RAGBRAI Roadshow - High Trestle Trail Madrid

We spoke with Esther Walker, Ph.D., about the research work Outride and its university partners are doing to advance youth bicycling. 

Esther Walker was pursuing her Ph.D. in cognitive science at the University of California San Diego when she became a bike commuter. As she studied elements of psychology, computer science, statistics and neuroscience, her bike rides to and from campus became a time to destress and relax. By the time Walker graduated and was working in tech, she’d become a passionate bike racer.

When Walker saw that Outride — a nonprofit dedicated to providing evidence-based bicycle programs for youth — was hiring a research manager, the position felt tailormade to her background and interests. “Data really drives decisions, so being able to collect, analyze and interpret data is super important,” said Walker. “That’s the perspective I have brought to Outride.”

Walker started with the nonprofit in June of 2020, working to build up its research programs and serve as a resource for the bicycling community at large. In February of this year, PeopleForBikes announced a new partnership with Outride to support its mission and expand youth bicycling nationwide. We recently spoke with Walker about Outride’s research, the importance of centering historically-marginalized communities and the ways in which the nonprofit is making its data actionable.

PeopleForBikes: How does research fit into Outride’s larger vision?

Esther Walker: In addition to our Riding for Focus program and the Outride Fund, research is our third main programming area. We are constantly learning from our school and community partners, as well as working with a number of university partners. We’re using all of that data to inform our programs and bicycling initiatives in communities across the country.

For example, if there’s a school that wants to specifically focus on those with ADHD, then we work closely with our university partners to answer those questions and provide evidence-based recommendations in terms of how to implement programming. On the flip side, we also have a big focus on sharing back what we learn from communities.

What has Outride’s research shown so far?

At a high level, we know that physical activity is one of the best things that you can do for your health. So we know bicycling is good for your body, but it really goes beyond that. It’s good for your mind and a really great way to build social connections and community. Youths who regularly engage in physical activity report less depression and anxiety symptoms, have higher self-esteem and also perform better academically than kids who are inactive. We also know that despite all these known benefits, kids today are more inactive than ever.

Physical activity during school represents one of the few environments where kids have the opportunity to get moving but we also know all kids aren’t fans of traditional P.E., and in many cases, they have negative associations and try to avoid it. What we’ve seen is that bicycling really represents an activity that kids are excited about and that it can become a lifestyle.

As we’re teaching more kids to ride that didn’t have access to a bike before, we’re starting to see an increase in self-esteem and confidence, not to mention excitement around physical activity and the joy that comes with riding.

What has the research shown in regards to historically marginalized communities?

One thing that's been made very clear in our data is that there are huge disparities in access to bikes and safe places to ride. So many low-income and marginalized communities have less access to bikes and also less access to repairs, essentially living in bike deserts. So, fewer kids learn how to ride and see it as a safe option, contributing to poor mental and physical health outcomes. What we’re seeing is that communities that could benefit the most from access to bicycling are the ones that have the least amount of resources to support it.

Knowing all this, how does Outride act on the research to make things actionable and lead to change?

When it comes to structural inequities such as infrastructure, access to bike repair or access to equipment — this is where Outride wants to make a difference and help support and create connections within these communities. We’ve really focused on building up communities through bicycling through our Riding for Focus program and our Outride Fund. We specifically grant our programs to communities that are low income or historically marginalized. 

For those who may not know about bicycling or our programs, we do a lot of outreach to let people know that Riding for Focus is available to come to their school for free. Then later, through the fund, we can help build up bicycling ecosystems in those communities. We always want to make sure that our work is done through the voice of the communities and that they’re the ones building up these programs and deciding what works best within each ecosystem. 

Do you always collect a mix of qualitative and quantitative data? Why is that important?

We do collect a mix. The quantitative numbers really help us to track the impact over time that we're having on these schools. The qualitative side really helps us put that hard data into perspective by allowing us to hear directly from the students and communities about what they found effective. The best way to learn is often to just ask someone their perspective.

How do Outride and your university partners solicit research volunteers? Are participants compensated in any way?

Before conducting any research (whether with youth or adults), all projects by our university partners are reviewed by an Institutional Review Board [IRB] to ensure the rights and welfare of any research participants are prioritized. Youth must voluntarily agree to participate in the studies (and also have the consent of their parents), and they can stop participating at any time, for any reason, no questions asked. Each university partner determines how to compensate their participants for their time while ensuring not to coerce participants into participating with excessive compensation.

As for our Outride programs, in order to continually monitor the impact of our school-based physical education programs and identify areas for improvement, schools are provided with pre and post-program surveys. Participating in the surveys is optional for students, and all surveys and data collection processes have been reviewed and approved by an external IRB.

What are some areas you want to dig in or focus future research?

We really want to hear back from communities. Aside from working with our university partners, we’re really interested in learning how we can sustain and support interest in biking and physical activity beyond the classroom. How do we build up sustainable bike ecosystems in prior bike deserts? What are the long-term impacts of introducing bicycling to youth?

Outride is hosting its 2021 virtual research summit this July. What should people know?

Outride’s 2021 Research Summit, “Advancing Youth and Community Well-Being Through Cycling,'' will be on July 28. For the first time, we’re going to be opening up submissions and inviting people to share the great work that’s being done in the world of bicycling. The summit will be a space where those doing the work around the benefits of bicycling can learn from one another and put that research into practice. The larger goal is to capture it all and share it back with our communities to help make an impact locally.

Outride’s 5th Annual Research Summit: Advancing Youth and Community Well-Being Through Cycling will take place on July 28, 2021. Attendance is free and open to the public. Click here to register to attend.

Researchers, community organizations, youth and students engaged in relevant research are strongly encouraged to submit work pertaining to the theme “Advancing Youth and Community Well-Being through Bicycling” and present at the 2021 Research Summit. Submissions are open through May 31, 2021. More information about the call for proposals can be found here. 

Bike advocates in Austin, Denver, New Orleans, Pittsburgh and Providence share how they’re already using recent recommendations from Charles T. Brown and other researchers.

In early March of this year, we released a new report, “Where Do We Go From Here? Breaking Down Barriers to Bicycling in the U.S.,” based on research conducted in 10 cities across the U.S. from 2018-2019. The research team, led by Charles T. Brown of the Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center (VTC) at Rutgers University, was commissioned to identify the factors that prevent and encourage different people from bicycling.

“The report highlights how barriers to bicycling are sometimes physical, but also systemic, institutional, social and cultural,” said PeopleForBikes Director of Local Innovation Sara Studdard. “Our hope is that readers will think beyond bike lanes and apply its five key learnings to any place-based projects — meeting people where they are and making sure changes to communities are resident-led.”

We touched base with mobility advocates in Austin, Denver, New Orleans, Pittsburgh and Providence to get specific examples of how they’re already beginning to carry out some of these findings. Although no one city is getting everything right, we hope these stories are inspiring and a testament to what a more equitable and holistic approach to planning can accomplish. 

Bike Easy’s work in New Orleans is all about building intentional partnerships in order to engage communities, whether that’s through offering mini-grants to local churches or partnering with GirlTrek for a march. “When the New Orleans Complete Streets Coalition was launching a big campaign to support the rapid buildout of our bike network, we went to the Algiers neighborhood and threw a fun, daylong festival,” said Dan Favre, Bike Easy’s executive director. "Algiers, the first community in New Orleans to have the rapid buildout of the bike network implemented, is primarily Black and has been historically underserved." The event had food, junior high marching bands, popular Black DJs from local radio, walking tours, games and bike giveaways. “The whole day was an opportunity for folks to engage with the city on the specifics of the bike plan,” said Favre.

Healthy Ride, Pittsburgh’s bike share system, has a community ambassador program that similarly works with individuals and nonprofits to authentically engage with new riders, connecting them to bike share and safe riding routes throughout the city. “We’ve also introduced a seasonal Street Team to help create awareness around the infrastructure changes as part of the MoveForwardPGH program to rapidly implement the city’s new Bike (+) Plan,” said Erin Potts, Healthy Ride’s director of marketing and community outreach.

In Denver, the Denver Streets Partnership teamed up with the West Colfax Business Improvement District to launch the Over the Colfax Clover project. “We began community outreach by hosting a series of bilingual meetings and walk audits with community members in this historically Latinx neighborhood,” said Jessica Vargas, the partnership’s program manager. Those meetings were followed by engineers, urban planners, developers and agency officials convening to explore potential re-designs and land re-uses — a rare opportunity to efficiently workshop a critical equity issue. “We then hosted a neighborhood festival to demonstrate some of the design ideas, including a pop-up protected bike lane during the event,” said Vargas. “Car cruising is such an important part of West Denver culture, so we invited the local cruiser club to display their cars as protection for the temporary bike lane.”

“In 2020, the City of Providence and Providence Streets Coalition partnered to organize paid focus groups for people who travel using all modes of transportation as a part of the city’s effort to brand and create comprehensive wayfinding signage for its urban trail network,” said Liza Burkin, lead organizer at the coalition. “We put a special emphasis on recruiting people of color and Spanish speakers. It’s crucial to get feedback and opinions from people coming from a diversity of lived experiences in order to create trail signage that is useful, understandable and reflective of all city residents.”

“Last year in Austin, we developed a GIS map and community stakeholder-driven process to help ensure the equitable and community-driven selection and deployment of Austin's [Healthy Streets] Slow Streets initiative,” said Briana Cohen, Austin lead and community educator at Ghisallo Cycling Initiative. “To gather input, Ghisallo connected with Go Austin/Vamos Austin, a coalition of neighbors and community partners breaking down barriers to healthy living and strengthening neighborhood stability in Austin’s Eastern Crescent.”

Importantly, whenever New Orleans’ Bike Easy sets up focus groups, it invites people from the city government to come and listen. “With messaging, it can’t all be about biking, it has to be about the overall community,” said Favre, noting how pre-pandemic, Bike Easy was canvassing door-to-door in neighborhoods slated for infrastructure improvements. “Sometimes we hear from people that speeding or street flooding are big problems, or they need us to focus on transit rather than bike lanes — it can go a long way when a bike advocate is promoting transit like that.” Favre also noted that Bike Easy worked with a pollster specifically known for having an understanding of getting the perceptions of the Black community.

“Google has a big Pittsburgh presence with shower facilities; large, locked bike storage; tools for people to fix bikes — the company has also pushed to build bike culture by encouraging its employees to take rides together,” said Scott Bricker, executive director at BikePGH. “Additionally, our large universities have recently been prioritizing safe cycling education, bike parking, on-campus bike shops and Bike to Campus events. The University of Pittsburgh also offers free bike share memberships for all students, staff and faculty, as does Google for all interested employees.”

In New Orleans, “Through a partnership with the Regional Black Chamber of Commerce, we’re getting ready to announce a bike rack program where they’ll be able to provide interested members with free bike racks for their businesses,” said Favre. Bike Easy will also do consultations with any businesses that are interested in becoming more welcoming to bikes and facilitates virtual bicycle challenges where different workplace teams can challenge one another to ride more.

In Denver, the Bicycle Colorado education team builds relationships with and compensates community-based organizations that directly serve people who ride and want to ride. Montbello en Bici, a bicycling group made up of Spanish-speaking families in the Montbello neighborhood, is one such organization. The goal is to help give the group the knowledge, skills and resources to lead more programs on their own so the community is less dependent on Bicycle Colorado. This past summer, the City of Denver, Northeast Transportation Connections, Montbello Organizing Committee and Bicycle Colorado collaborated on English and Spanish educational videos for the Montbello Bike Course featuring Montbello en Bici youth riders. 

In Pittsburgh, Eric Boerer, advocacy director at BikePGH said, “With the hope of reaching the parents by engaging with the kids, we developed a MoveForwardPGH coloring book that is a fun way for adults and children to learn about the benefits of slower, safer streets.”

“The Providence Streets Coalition seeks to be a fully bilingual organization in regards to our marketing, outreach and community engagement. So, every element of our creative marketing campaign is translated into Spanish — the social videos, the radio spots, the bus and billboard and print ads,” said Burkin, noting that eventually, the organization would like to be multilingual. “We use the 'Weglot' plug-in that seamlessly translates our website into Spanish, Portuguese and Haitian Creole, and we made it a requirement that our Street Team staffers speak at least one other language besides English.”

Providence is on its way to implementing its Great Streets Plan, which includes a 75-mile urban trail network designed for people of all ages and abilities to walk, bike, run, scoot, skate and roll. “The two main typologies of the network are two-way protected trails on busy streets and traffic-calmed neighborhood greenways on residential streets,” said Burkin. “Contraflow bike lanes, safer pedestrian crossings and better bus stops are also key parts of the plan.”

In Pittsburgh, the “GAP to the Point” network of bike lanes is the final piece of on-street bike infrastructure that connects the Great Allegheny Passage to Point State Park through the heart of downtown. “The GAP to the Point bike lanes have both concrete and bollard protection, and feature new-to-Pittsburgh innovations to work around several bus stops, making it easier for buses to pull up directly to the curb,” said Bricker.

“The entire New Orleans Complete Streets Coalition and the diverse communities represented there are in full support of connected and protected bike lanes,” said Favre. “We realize that it’s not just about protecting people from traffic, but it’s about lighting and things like that too. When it comes to making people feel safe, the details matter.”

How 5 Cities Are Breaking Down Barriers to Biking

Like high school auto shop, but for bicycles, this experiential program is helping create a new generation of bike advocates nationwide. 

More than a decade ago, Berri Michel, co-owner of the Bike Trip bike shop in Santa Cruz, California, had an epiphany. Michel, who was always on the hunt for new bike mechanics, took note of how the car industry spearheaded the creation of high school auto shop programs and realized she could do something similar for bikes. 

In 2008, Michel founded Project Bike Tech to provide high school students with an education in bicycle mechanics. Over the years, the program has evolved to include modules on resume writing, interview techniques, inventory management, POS systems, sales and teamwork skills. In an educational setting, bicycles become a conduit for teaching students everything from geometry to city planning, healthy habits to the importance of sustainable transportation. The curriculum, written by teachers for the 17-year-old brain, results in two industry-endorsed certificates for graduates. 

“Students who graduate are great basic bicycle mechanics and excellent employees for any retail job,” said Project Bike Tech Executive Director Mercedes Ross. “They learn everything from why they should be well dressed when they come to work to why they should get there on time.”

Currently, Project Bike Tech is in 18 high schools across seven states, with plans to double the number of programs and expand to four more states by the end of 2021. Other than a handful of well-off private schools, the majority of Project Bike Tech’s classrooms are in historically underserved communities. Many also have large Hispanic populations, which is why the organization plans on translating the curriculum into Spanish. 

Lorenzo Holquin, who’s taught in Project Bike Tech classrooms for five years, already teaches in Spanish on occasion. “My student population is about 99 to 100 percent Mexican,” said Holquin, who teaches at Pajaro Valley High School in Watsonville, California, and is himself Mexican and Indigenous. “I teach my kids about bike culture and how a lot of it started in Mexico with lowrider bikes," said Holquin, who believes the program is just as much about getting students to take pride in who they are as it is about learning bike mechanic skills. 

“A lot of these kids are mechanically inclined and they don’t just want to sit there and write a bunch of papers,” said Holquin. “I tell them, ‘Papers are important, too, but I understand what you’re saying.” In the Project Bike Tech classroom, bikes might capture a student’s attention but they are often the conduit for imparting larger life lessons about things like work ethic, critical thinking, the importance of volunteering, community engagement and even tolerance. Said Holquin, “Some students are in two different gangs and I’ll put them right next to each other and tell them they have to learn to coexist.” Similarly, he believes the high proportion of females in his classrooms help break down gender stereotypes from a young age.

Project Bike Tech boasts a 98% attendance rate, a boon for any school but especially for those with above-average truancy, drug use and dropout rates. Although it occasionally takes up to two years to implement a Project Bike Tech program (especially if the state doesn’t have one yet), the timeline can be reduced considerably if there’s buy-in from local leadership. The high attendance rates and employability of students — not to mention their general enthusiasm for the subject material — make it an easy sell.

“The best-case scenario is when a superintendent calls us and says, ‘I want to put this program in all the schools in my district,’” said Ross. “If we can get the mayor on board, then the floodgates open.”

Often, however, it’s a local retailer that reaches out to Project Bike Tech (bicycling team coaches are also common champions). No matter who leads the charge, the program inevitably benefits the community as a whole, an asset to everyone from local bicycle businesses to environmental nonprofits. During the summer months, when schools are closed, Project Bike Tech classrooms are often utilized by cities or other community-based organizations for similar programming. For communities that are financially challenged, the classrooms can serve as a crucial outpost for fixing up old bikes for those who might not be able to afford the service otherwise. 

The companies that initially funded Project Bike Tech — Park Tool, QBP and Specialized — have stood by the program over the years as even more industry sponsors signed on. For schools looking to get involved, the organization makes it a relatively easy lift: A teacher, a classroom, and $60,000 are all that’s needed to get a new program up and running. For perspective, a new woodworking shop costs between $300,000-$500,000 and auto shops run closer to a million.

“Our classrooms really create a cycling atmosphere — it affects the whole community,” said Ross, adding that some classrooms have been running for 16 years. “They become an incredible community asset.”

Importantly, the program also creates a talent pipeline for the bike industry — which has a shortage of bike mechanics — as well as for bike and pedestrian transportation advocates in general (Holquin’s students have gone on to work in everything from city planning to infrastructure development). The Bicycle Industry Employers Association (BIEA), whose goal is to cultivate talent and diversity in the bike industry’s workforce, is set to launch collegiate-level Accredited Bicycle Technician programs later this year. BIEA hopes to establish a total of seven programs in different regions across the U.S. by fall 2024. According to Ross, having a national certificate at the college level is a crucial step to getting Project Bike Tech in more schools and helping create a clear trajectory for bike professionals. 

“What Outride does through Riding for Focus at the elementary and middle school level is also crucial,” said Ross, emphasizing the importance of a complete pathway for bike-related programming from childhood through adulthood. “That way, we’re getting kids at all touchpoints. With Project Bike Tech, we don’t lose them once they get their driver’s license.”

Despite the obvious wins, Project Bike Tech still faces hurdles when it comes to soliciting human effort, such as enthusiastic high school teachers like Holquin that are willing to shepherd the program day-to-day. Still, Project Bike Tech currently graduates around 500 students every year, a number that will only continue to grow as more communities recognize its value. As 2021 gears up to be another record year for biking, cities will benefit from taking a holistic approach and investing in youth programming.

“Schools need this program because a lot of hands-on classes are disappearing,” said Holquin, adding that at the same time, governments are finally waking up to the reality of climate change. “Project Bike Tech is setting our kids up for the future, in every sense of the word.”

A candid conversation with Charles T. Brown, the lead investigator of a new, groundbreaking report on barriers to biking in the U.S.

Even without the upsurge brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. bicycling is on the rise. As the number of bicyclists and bike trips steadily grows, however, communities still struggle to court diverse ridership and create truly inclusive bike cultures. Plus, for many Americans, bicycling remains completely out of reach due to persistent social and physical barriers.

It’s these barriers that a research team, led by Charles T. Brown of the Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center (VTC) at Rutgers University, set out to identify. The 2018-2019 study was commissioned by PeopleForBikes as part of an existing effort, dubbed the Big Jump, to encourage the development and implementation of bike infrastructure across 10 U.S. cities.

“We wanted to understand the reasons why certain populations choose to bicycle and why others do not,” said Brown. “Consistent with that, what infrastructure and incentives, financial or otherwise, would be needed to encourage those who do not bicycle to start, and for those that do bicycle to bicycle more?”

The Big Jump focused on helping communities build strong local partnerships and Brown’s study built on that work by soliciting those partners to convene small focus groups — made up of both community members and businesses — for open-ended discussions. Brown and his colleagues were thus able to gain an in-depth understanding of participants’ perceptions and attitudes towards bicycling.

Where Do We Go From Here? Breaking Down Barriers to Bicycling in the U.S.

Brown, who has devoted his 15-plus-year career to working at the intersection of transportation, health and equity, is widely considered a thought leader in creating safe, equitable and inclusive communities. Keep reading for an honest discussion about barriers to biking in the U.S.

PeopleForBikes: With this study, what void in the research were you trying to fill?

Charles T. Brown: For the most part, prior research had approached the community separate from businesses. We thought it’d be important to hear not only from the residents but also from the businesses to create a clear picture of what the barriers and the possibilities are in regards to cycling in each community.

Why use a qualitative approach in your research?

My preference is a more qualitative approach because it gives you the ability to dig deeper into what the real answers or issues are. With a quantitative survey, you can certainly capture the opinions of more people, but we were more interested in the depth of responses than the number of people surveyed. Focus groups also allow people to network and build relationships and partnerships that may outlast this study and many others. This is imperative in under-resourced communities.

How has your lived experience as a bike rider informed your work?

I've always been into biking recreationally; however, prior to this job, I’d never considered biking for utilitarian purposes. This had a lot to do with the fact that I’d never lived in a community where it was considered safe to bicycle to and from work, given the spatial mismatch between my residence and my job, as well as the unsafe infrastructure. For me, biking has always been an ideal way to spend time with family and friends. Many African Americans also primarily view the bicycle as a recreational device, not necessarily as a utilitarian one — that’s pretty consistent with the research.

How has your lived experience as a Black man informed your work?

It made me keenly aware of issues, such as the lack of infrastructure and maintenance in BIPOC [Black, Indigenous and people of color] communities, along with discriminatory enforcement and the importance of representation for racial minorities that lack it. Religious and sexual minorities, too. I came to this work with an understanding that bicycling infrastructure had been perceived, promoted and prioritized predominately in high-income, white communities. As a result, many people of color don’t feel that biking, particularly non-recreational cycling, is for them. My perspective has led me to do research that truly gets to the root causes of these barriers to biking for BIPOC. 

Which of the five recommendations do you think is the most important?

I think the most important one is this need to meaningfully engage with historically marginalized communities and, most importantly, do it on their turf. I would also add: on their terms. There exists a segment of our community who don't get an opportunity to truly enjoy the benefits of bicycling and the freedoms that come with it. A lot of this has to do with the fact that they have been systematically marginalized and thus, have been prevented from enjoying that freedom.

If we are to grow this movement in the way that we really would like to, we have to be humble and empathetic enough to meet people on their terms so that we can create an environment that best serves their needs. For me, that's what it means to be equitable and inclusive. That is the most important recommendation because right now it is by far the biggest hole or gap in our processes and approach to cycling in America. Where America fails, so have we in bicycling.

Here’s what’s surprising: We’ve known the answers. There has been very little progress in terms of removing the barriers that have been identified in study after study. That's surprising because the bicycling community tends to be one that is socially and politically progressive. And yet it still has not moved us. It hasn’t moved us even an iota forward in regards to removing or reducing the systemic barriers around biking in BIPOC and low-income communities.

What do you think it’s going to take for real change on this front?

It is going to take really bold and courageous action by all of us to be the change we’d like to see in this country. We need a reparation-style infrastructure package in BIPOC and low-income communities. That package needs to include bicycle infrastructure and pedestrian infrastructure, plus investments in public transit and public art. We also need to demystify cycling. Right now, it's looked at as a white-only thing or as a thing that only poor people do.

Why are these persistent stereotypes so harmful?

Because these persistent stereotypes are just that: stereotypes. They don’t reflect the reality of cycling in America. For instance, what you see is not a lack of cyclists of color. Your perception is clouded by the reality of your racially segregated community. Few, however, make a connection between that reality and the reality that the same systems that created segregated communities allowed barriers to active transportation infrastructure in BIPOC communities. In some of the cities in which we conducted these focus groups, they're very racially segregated, and those people saw — for the most part — the culture and the people that were dominant there.

Going back to that recommendation you believe is most important — can you outline what “meaningful engagement” looks like?

Meaningful engagement takes into consideration the language in which the meeting will be conducted, the time of day of the meeting, whether or not it's accessible for persons with disabilities and the location. I’m not just talking about physical location, but rather the organization responsible for the meeting and its history, which may or may not be deemed trustworthy by the community that you’re trying to engage.

It also applies to the prioritization of the items that are on the agenda and the flexibility organizers have in accommodating input received from the community. For example, a lot of times we’ll go out to talk about bike lanes and the community wants to talk about crime. If you're not well versed in the various ways in which this work is intersectional, you may not see the importance of addressing a crime question within a bicycle discussion.

Lastly, meaningful engagement has to involve the sharing of power. Sometimes it’s important for the community to have the autonomy to host a meeting to determine its location, its time, its language, and provide valuable input on resource allocation. In short, sometimes you just have to listen. Active listening is a very important component of meaningful engagement.

What’s the low-hanging fruit a city can tackle today?

Metaphorically speaking, low-income and communities of color have been fed low-hanging fruit for far too long. Unfortunately, this has not resulted in equitable and inclusive access for BIPOC communities at the same rate it has in other communities. Therefore, it is time for cities to climb the tree to get the fruit that is higher up so that real systemic change can happen and be sustainable for a longer time. But for the sake of discussion, the low-hanging fruit should be safe and accessible bicycling parking and lockers, lighting, routine maintenance, bike lanes and signage and the establishment of an external equity working group.  

What’s going to take the most work or cost the most?

I think that a shift in the dominant culture is going to take the most work, but equitable and inclusive bicycle infrastructure will cost the most — particularly considering the dire need to fully address the magnitude of historic and contemporary disinvestments in low-income and communities of color. However, it is a cost we should welcome with open arms, given the gross disparities in traffic deaths and injuries, as well as the lack of access to healthy food and nutrition, parks and open spaces, and social connectedness in these communities. These investments will result in the highest return in investment socially, economically, politically, environmentally and in terms of overall health outcomes. We must act swiftly, however, as these outcomes are indicative of our priorities—priorities that have benefited some and burdened others. This must change. Now.

How do you respond to critics who say, “It’s just not going to happen”?

I don’t. I prioritize my time and energy for those who are hopeful and optimistic about the future.

“Where America Fails, So Have We in Bicycling.”

We’ve combed through every state bicycling bill currently being considered — here are the top five themes that emerged and why they’re important.

PeopleForBikes’ state and local policy team keeps a running document of state legislative bills that could have implications, good or bad, for bike riding and bike businesses. Over the past six years, they’ve noted a significant bump in the representation of bikes in state legislatures and recently, certain bills have stood out as fitting into a national theme or being completely novel.

“The 2021 legislative sessions are proving to be a prime example of how bike legislation can not only improve bike riding but also play a serious role in helping states achieve their environmental, social and economic goals,” said Ashley Seaward, PeopleForBikes’ regulatory and policy analyst.

The five policies highlighted below represent shifts in the way America is making recreation and active transportation decisions, even if none of them are ultimately passed into law. To simply have the ideas in these bills put into an official form at the legislative level means we’re on the right track toward garnering broad public support for bicycles and improving our communities nationwide.

Outdoor recreation bills have been introduced in Utah (House Bill 254), Nebraska (Legislative Bill 605) and Washington (House Bill 5292), but we’re particularly fond of Illinois’ House Bill 194. The bill, introduced by Rep. Sonya M. Harper, creates the Outdoor RX Program Act, which would provide funds for outdoor environmental, ecological, agricultural and other natural resource and outdoor-based therapy programs. 

Included in the bill is some great preamble language: “Time outdoors can be a valuable adjunct therapy in addition to more traditional health care, while also reducing reliance on prescription medication.” Furthermore, the bill lists the therapeutic benefits of time spent outdoors as a scientific fact, a known way to “help reduce stress, improve concentration and promote overall well-being, both physical and mental.” 

Why should you care? This bill would put into Illinois state law that outdoor recreation is on par with other forms of therapy and medicine, opening the opportunity for other states (and, ideally, insurance companies) to follow suit. By providing a more holistic approach to caring for people, a healthcare provider might eventually be able to prescribe riding a bike instead of medication, lessening our dependence on prescription medication while still improving our overall health.

In case you missed it, our federal policy team has been hard at work alongside Representatives Jimmy Panetta (D-CA) and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) to introduce the Electric Bicycle Incentive Kickstart for the Environment (E-BIKE) Act (H.R. 1019). At the state level, there are currently 23 proposed bills related to electric bicycles. 

California’s Assembly Bill 117 stands out for its acknowledgment that electric bicycles are a critical form of transportation and integral when it comes to reducing carbon emissions. This bill would bring about a massive investment in electric bicycles through the Electric Bicycle Rebate Pilot Project, which would be funded with $10 million from the state’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund as part of the Air Quality Improvement Program. 

Two other electric bicycle incentive bills of note: Oklahoma’s Senate Bill 435, which would legalize a $200 electric bicycle purchase incentive, and Washington’s House Bill 1330, which would do away with the existing sales tax on electric bicycles and allow for a $200 incentive to be used on related bicycling equipment. 

Why should you care? A 2019 study found that across the United States, we can expect an 11% decrease in carbon emissions with a 15% increase in electric bicycle mode share. The above states are the first to put out realistic models for incentivizing this shift and getting more people buying, and commuting by, electric bicycles.

Dubbed “GHG” for greenhouse gas emissions by our policy team, these bills offer ways for states to combat the rising threat of climate change. Although most bills propose multiple avenues for reducing emissions, all have positive implications for bike infrastructure. Vermont’s House Bill 120 specifically names bicycle infrastructure networks as a way to reduce emissions.

New Jersey’s Assembly Bill 5196 would provide loans and other financial assistance for climate change mitigation and resilience projects, including “zero-emission vehicle infrastructure” (i.e. bike networks). What’s more, the bill stipulates that climate change mitigation projects might include “zero-emission public transportation projects,” such as bike share programs.

Why should you care? Bills like these have only started to emerge in the last few years, hinting at a larger shift in the national conversation surrounding climate change. By providing large-scale funding for public investment projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, these kinds of bills mean big money for potential bike projects. They also offer a prime opportunity for environmental and transportation advocates to collaborate on a unified goal of reducing emissions through bikes.

No bill is likely to get more people riding than one that offers financial benefits for bicyclists. There are currently two policy proposals that do just that in New York and Hawaii. Hawaii’s, Senate Bill 524, is really an overall commuting bill with positive implications for workers that choose to bike. Similar to the federal Bicycle Commuter Act, which was recently reintroduced to Congress, it would essentially give Hawaiians commuter benefits no matter what mode of transportation they choose.

The preamble language is particularly bold and we’re here for it: “The legislature finds that the State's policy of providing highly subsidized parking for state employees limits the employees' choices, does not reduce traffic congestion or greenhouse gas emissions, and contradicts state policies to encourage alternative modes of transportation.” New York’s Assembly Bill 2234 would similarly allow bicyclists to qualify for commuter benefits.

Why should you care? People should be rewarded for choosing to get to work by bike and, in lieu of national action that’s proved fickle in the past, states are starting to take action. More people commuting by bike means more support for bike infrastructure, cleaner air and healthier employees.

5. Action on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)


What does a DEI bill have to do with biking? Like almost everything in American life, transportation is intersectional and there’s a long history of disenfranchisement when it comes to Black, Indigenous and people of color, as well as low-income populations and folks with disabilities. Oregon’s House Bill 2985 would ensure that members of the Oregon Department of Transportation advisory committee reflect the racial, ethnic and ability composition of the state.

Why should you care? Transportation decisions need to be made with input from people from all communities, backgrounds and ethnicities. Historically, Black and brown communities have been underrepresented or excluded completely from public planning decisions at every level. We need to make sure there are legal obligations to include all people affected by transportation projects and decisions.

Interested in keeping up with the policies PeopleForBikes supports? Check out our Policy Finder.

5 Bills Every Bike Advocate Should Care About

Transportation is responsible for 37.8% of all carbon emissions in the United States. Just under 60% of that transportation-related CO2 is generated by passenger cars, SUVs and minivans. Electrification and clean, renewable power are critical tools to reduce transportation emissions in the long run, but the above figures show that to reduce the worst effects of climate change, we must grow active transportation options that help reduce car trips. 

Electric bicycles have a unique capacity to help in this effort. A 2019 study from the Transportation Research and Education Center found that if electric bicycle usage increased by 15% across the U.S., we could reduce an estimated 11% of transportation-related CO2 emissions. The authors found that of every 100 utilitarian miles traveled by electric bicycle (trips made for purposes other than recreation or exercise), 72.4 of those miles would have been traveled by car. In other words, electric bicycles replaced 72.4% of car miles that would have been taken for strictly practical purposes.

Public interest in electric bicycles is at an all-time high — both electric and traditional bicycle use skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic as people sought ways to safely get outside for exercise and social time, and electric bicycle sales have seen notable increases in recent years. How can we leverage this popularity and get even more people out of their cars and onto electric bicycles more often? Research suggests that electric bicycle purchase subsidies or tax credits, like those proposed in the E-BIKE Act, alongside bike parking and charging stations designed for electric bicycles, moderate changes to street designs that calm traffic, protected bike lanes to increase real and perceived safety and a boost in municipal electric bicycle share programs all encourage more people to take more trips by bike and fewer by car, as well as help legitimize bikes as a practical form of transportation. 

President Biden’s recent far-reaching executive order to combat climate change mandates an all-government approach that engages all federal agencies in an effort to mitigate climate change and requires all federal infrastructure investments to reduce climate pollution. The order also directs federal agencies to accelerate near-term efforts to quickly reduce emissions and emphasizes the opportunities that climate mitigation efforts offer for economic stimulus. 

Both traditional bikes and electric bicycles in particular are highly effective tools that can be deployed across many sectors to address related and overlapping climate and economic issues now and in the future. Estimates show that active transportation infrastructure creates 17 jobs per $1 million dollars spent — more jobs than for other transportation projects, including roads. That means we can create jobs for economic recovery while at the same time creating facilities that are, by their nature, green and sustainable, serving both practical and recreational needs. Getting outdoors and moving on a bicycle boosts physical well-being and mental health. At the same time, even small shifts in bicycling rates can improve air quality, helping to offset and reduce rates of chronic conditions related to poor air quality, like asthma. Protected infrastructure and updated road design yield dramatic increases in safety in the form of fewer serious injuries and fatalities for people who bike, walk and occupy vehicles. 

There’s also a recreational aspect. President Biden’s executive order includes a 30x30 plan to conserve and restore 30% of U.S. land and water by 2030 to protect biodiversity and slow extinction rates. The order establishes a Civilian Climate Corps to do the work. As with its New Deal-era predecessor, the Civilian Conservation Corps, the work of expanding and protecting our natural resources can easily go hand-in-hand with creating more opportunities for outdoor recreation, spurring low-carbon economic development like bike tourism when we give Americans more places to ride. 

We have reached a critical all-hands-on-deck moment when it comes to climate change, and we need to move fast. Electric bicycles are not the only solution to slow and reverse climate change, but they are one of our best bets to jumpstart important work to curb carbon emissions quickly and effectively. 

Electric Bicycles Can Play a Big Role in Combating Climate Change

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