PeopleForBikes is proud to launch our new Backyard Advocacy Toolkit, a practical, action-oriented resource designed to help bike industry leaders, retailers, suppliers, and partners make meaningful progress for better biking in their communities. From building great places to ride and expanding trail access to supporting workforce development and domestic manufacturing, the toolkit empowers industry members to make a difference locally and shape a better future for biking in their own backyards.

ACCESS THE BACKYARD ADVOCACY TOOLKIT

While PeopleForBikes works to advance policies and programs that support bicycling at the national, state, and community levels, some of the most transformative wins for better biking happen locally when members of the bike industry and local partners come together around a shared goal. The Backyard Advocacy Toolkit helps industry partners engage in these local conversations with confidence and purpose, offering strategies, case studies, and actionable guidance on how companies can strengthen communities, expand access to riding, and elevate the industry’s role in shaping local policy.

The new toolkit highlights real-world successes demonstrating the power of industry-community collaboration. In Colorado Springs, SRAM partnered with local advocates to secure Class 1 electric mountain bike access on designated trails, providing a clear model for how companies can help influence local policy. In Northwest Arkansas, industry partners are working with schools and workforce programs to build a strong, locally rooted talent pipeline that supports both outdoor recreation and domestic bicycle manufacturing. Across the Southeast, case studies show how industry collaboration, infrastructure, and direct policymaker engagement can help advance U.S. bicycle production and build a more resilient supply chain.

“Local engagement is often the catalyst for national impact,” said Martina Haggerty, PeopleForBikes’ vice president of infrastructure. “When companies take action close to home, they help more people ride, create safer and more connected communities, and strengthen the economic and cultural presence of the bike industry.”

With the launch of the toolkit, PeopleForBikes is calling on industry partners to get involved. Companies and retailers can leverage the toolkit to identify local projects, join or form advocacy coalitions, host demo rides for policymakers and local residents, support workforce programs, or advocate for safer, more connected places to ride in their regions. Every effort counts — from attending a city council meeting to hosting an employee volunteer day with a local advocacy group — and the toolkit provides step-by-step guidance to make participation simple and impactful.

The Backyard Advocacy Toolkit is a roadmap for action. By connecting businesses with proven strategies and replicable models, industry leaders can create measurable change in the communities where they live, work, and ride. Not sure where to start? PeopleForBikes is here to help.

Industry partners ready to take action can access the Backyard Advocacy Toolkit now. Questions? Contact PeopleForBikes Senior Manager of Recreation Policy Rachel Fussell at rachel@peopleforbikes.org.