Making your community better for biking starts with you! Whether you have five minutes or an entire afternoon, PeopleForBikes developed some simple steps you can take to improve biking in your backyard. 

Sign up for PeopleForBikes' newsletter to be the first to know when you can take action for better biking in your community, like sending an email to your state representative when pro-bike legislation or funding is up for a vote.

Become a PeopleForBikes Foundation member to support our work.

Reach out to your local elected officials via email.

Find your mayor or city councilor’s email. If you aren’t sure who your local elected officials are or how to email them, click here. 

Send an email introducing yourself and explaining why better biking matters to you. Here is an example to help you get started:


Hello, my name is [name], and I live in [neighborhood]. I’d love to talk to you about opportunities to make our community safer and more accessible for people who ride bikes. 

[Insert a personal anecdote here. You can mention your favorite local place to ride, a particular street that could be better for biking, or how you want safer routes for your kids to bike to school or the park. You can also explain why you are passionate about this work — public or personal health, sustainability, road safety, active transportation options, etc.]


According to PeopleForBikes, our City Ratings score, which measures the quality of our low-stress bike network, is [#]. I think we can do better, and I would like to share PeopleForBikes’ Effective Legislative Strategies for Better Biking, which explains how communities like ours can become better places to ride a bike for people of all ages and abilities. 


After you make a connection, keep the conversation going by inviting your elected official on a bike ride or walk around your community to show them where you ride, where you wish you could ride, and where improvements can be made. 

Check out PeopleForBikes’ Own Your Backyard campaign for more ideas and tips, including how to connect with and support local groups already working to improve biking in your community. 

Thanks for helping make our world a better place through bikes!

How to Advocate for Better Biking in Your Community

Last year was another banner year for the creation of great places to ride a bike across the U.S. New bike infrastructure was fueled by funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which made billions in federal dollars available for bike projects, alongside billions of additional state and local funding measures supported by PeopleForBikes. 

As a result, Americans enjoyed hundreds of new places to ride in 2024. We collected some of the best bike projects built in the last year to celebrate how all kinds of communities are benefiting from safe, fun, and connected places to bike.

This project converted a one-way, high-speed arterial into a two-way street with protected bike lanes, including protected intersections. Reversing design decisions made in the 1960s urban renewal era, the project also eliminated highway-like slip lanes and improved pedestrian crossings. What was once a highway now feels like the neighborhood street that it is. It also closes key gaps in the city’s growing network of protected bikeways, linking to existing facilities on Negley Avenue, Centre Avenue, Broad Street, and East Liberty Boulevard. 

Clark Street Protected Bike Lane | Chicago IL

PHOTO CREDIT: John Greenfield/Streetsblog Chicago
Clark Street is the southbound twin to the northbound bikeway on adjacent Dearborn Street, connecting Oak Street to Grand Avenue in central Chicago just north of the Loop. It’s already one of the city’s most popular bikeways. Beyond Clark Street, Chicago installed a total of 47 miles of new bike facilities across the city, including 31 miles of low-stress, protected bike lanes and neighborhood greenways. 

PHOTO CREDIT: San Diego County Bicycle Coalition

San Diego’s new Pershing Bikeway connects the diverse North Park neighborhood to bike lanes near downtown through Balboa Park. The 2.3-mile project combines a two-way protected bike lane, a separate bike path, and one-way protected bike lanes to provide safe and comfortable bike routes for people of all ages and abilities. Key elements include a 75-foot bridge over Florida Canyon Creek, a new roundabout at a formerly dangerous intersection, and five new pedestrian intersections equipped with 70 path lights to improve visibility. 

Named in honor of boxing legend Joe Louis, the Joe Louis Greenway is a planned 28-mile loop around central Detroit. Hailed for the revitalization and economic development it will bring, the trail connects 23 neighborhoods within Detroit as well as the cities of Dearborn, Hamtramck, and Highland Park. In 2024, residents celebrated the opening of the section between W. Warren Avenue and Joy Road. Just a short mile, this segment includes the Warren Gateway Trailhead and several spurs into surrounding neighborhoods, carrying on the trail’s critical role in connecting the local community.

Napa Valley Vine Trail | Calistoga-St. Helena, CA

PHOTO CREDIT: Rails to Trails Conservancy

Officials cut the ribbon on a new 9-mile section of the Napa Valley Vine Trail in August. Residents and visitors can now travel between the small towns of Calistoga and St. Helena in the Napa Valley on a gorgeous new bike path alongside vineyards. Twenty nine of the 47 miles are now complete, and the other sections are in the final design stage. 

Many cities are seeing the value of integrating low-volume, low-speed neighborhood streets into their bikeway networks. In Bloomington, Indiana, city planners are emphasizing the community benefits of slow streets by converting streets into “neighborhood greenways.” Every year, the city funds the conversion of at least three streets into greenways and works with residents to determine design details. 

As more people see the success of Bloomington and other cities creating neighborhood greenways that serve as a bikeway network, they will want to copy that success in their own communities. In 2024, PeopleForBikes awarded two grants to develop a model for greenway advocacy and a guide to encourage and support city leaders and advocates to develop them. 

This dedicated bikeway uses a former railroad right-of-way to connect Philippine Sea Road in ‘Ewa to Waipahu Depot Street. After the construction of retaining walls, utility relocation, and the reconstruction of bridges at Waikele Stream and Kapakahi Stream, the Leeward Bikeway extends the Pearl Harbor Historic Trail, creating an 11-mile route from ʻAiea Bay State Recreation Area to the Hawaiian Railway Society in ‘Ewa Beach. After just a few more gap closures, people will be able to ride on a 24-mile car-free bikeway from the eastern suburbs of Honolulu all the way to Diamond Head, connecting with the airport, downtown, Waikiki, and more.

The Moosup Valley State Park Trail | Connecticut

The Moosup Valley State Park Trail opened six miles of trail from the town of Moosup to Rhode Island. The trail spans 62 acres of wetlands, rivers, ponds and natural beauty, hugging the Moosup River until it connects with the Trestle Trail in Rhode Island. Each segment is a part of the East Coast Greenway, a safe biking and walking route connecting 15 states and 450 cities and towns for 3,000 miles from Maine to Florida. 

Know of a great bike project planned for 2025 that should be on our radar for next year’s list? Make sure it’s included in our National Bike Project Tracker! To learn how to add planned projects to the list, check out our FAQ page.

PeopleForBikes is proud to announce the launch of our Recreational Bicycling Access Tool, a first-of-its-kind resource developed with generous support from REI. In development for the last three years, the new tool is designed to evaluate the accessibility, quality, and connectivity of recreational biking facilities across the United States.

Not meant as a resource for people to find places to ride like Trailforks or MTB Project, the Recreational Bicycling Access Tool is specifically designed to help a broad spectrum of stakeholders, from land managers and government officials to bike advocates and academic researchers, make data-driven investments in infrastructure that ensure everyone has access to high-quality recreational bicycling opportunities close to home. The tool complements our Bicycle Network Analysis tool, which measures the quality of low-stress, on-road bicycle networks in more than 2,500 global communities.


“This tool significantly enhances our ability to drive progress on expanding recreational biking infrastructure,” says Jenn Dice, president and CEO of PeopleForBikes. “By integrating the Recreational Bicycling Access Tool with our Bicycle Network Analysis, we now have the data to identify gaps, prioritize investments, and improve connectivity at scale. This is about turning data into action — making sure every community has the tools to build better, more connected networks of bike facilities that meet the needs of today’s riders.”

To learn more about the tool’s functionality and future plans to expand its capabilities, join PeopleForBikes’ webinar on March 4 at 12 p.m. MT.

PeopleForBikes leverages data to help advocates, policymakers, and bike industry leaders drive progress for better biking nationwide. The Recreational Bicycling Access Tool is a key part of our commitment to helping more people ride bikes more often. Alongside our existing programs like City Ratings, which ranks cities worldwide on the quality of their bike networks, and the Great Bike Infrastructure Project, which tracks thousands of planned bike projects across the U.S., the Recreational Bicycling Access tool is helping communities make better data-driven decisions about where to invest in bike infrastructure.


Types of Recreational Bicycling Facilities

The Recreational Bicycling Access Tool maps various types and classes of recreational facilities:

While recreational bicycling can also occur on paved roads that allow motor vehicle access, this type of infrastructure is not included in the tool. For further exploration of access to paved roads for bicycling across the U.S., please check out our Bicycle Network Analysis (BNA) tool and City Ratings program.

Like the BNA, the Recreational Bicycling Access Tool uses OpenStreetMap to identify the location of bike facilities. To add or update the facilities in your area, please see our guide on how to edit OpenStreetMap data.

People are more likely to ride bikes when facilities like trails, paths, and bike parks are easily accessible. The Recreational Bicycling Access Tool provides the insights and data necessary to ensure that recreational bike infrastructure is available to riders of all ages and skill levels, regardless of where they live.  

To analyze accessibility, the tool measures riding opportunities across eight geographic levels: census tract, county, state, metropolitan/micropolitan statistical area, congressional district, unified school district, state legislative upper house, and state legislative lower house.

The tool then quantifies access using five different metrics:

Facilities: The number of unique recreational facility classes the average resident can access.

Miles of Trails: The total miles of trails the average resident can access (excludes bike parks).

Miles per Person: The total miles of trails the average resident can access per 1,000 people living in the area (excludes bike parks).

Amenities: The number of unique amenities out of 39 amenity types located within 0.25 miles of a bike facility that a resident can access (excludes bike parks).

Bike Parks: The number of bike parks the average resident can access (excludes trails).


Access to facilities is viewable through two lenses: bike and motor vehicle access. A bicycling facility is considered accessible by bike within 1.67 miles of where people live, about a 10-minute bike ride at a 10 mph pace. A bicycling facility is considered accessible by motor vehicle when located within a 20-minute drive of where people live. Bicycling facilities located within a given census tract are considered accessible to everyone in that tract.


Users can further refine their view of the data through a series of filters based on demographic factors, including race, income, affordability, age, and more. 

For more detailed information regarding access calculations, facilities, and amenity types, please see our detailed methodology and OSM tag spreadsheet.

At the county level, the tool reveals that in large, rural counties, unpaved roads provide the majority of recreational bicycling opportunities. For example, Lincoln County, NV, with a population of only 4,600 people, has more than 2,200 miles of trails.

However, looking at the “Amenities” access metric reveals a lack of any bike or transport-specific amenities (represented by purple and orange dots, respectively), indicating that despite having high trail mile access, Lincoln County may not specifically invest in bike infrastructure.

This stands in stark contrast to places like Bentonville, AR, the self-proclaimed Mountain Bike Capital of the World. Bike amenities are aplenty around Bentonville, as are both paved and unpaved trails, showing a clear investment in high quality recreational biking opportunities for residents and visitors.

The tool can also be used to compare neighboring geographies while advocating for increased access. In Oregon, Deschutes County is home to a large network of unpaved trails for mountain biking just outside of Bend, where the majority of the county’s population resides. The proximity of these trails to town means that the average resident can easily access more than 23 miles of trails.

This stands in contrast to Lane County to the west. While the two counties have a comparable mileage of trails (1,100 in Lane, 1,300 in Deschutes), the tool reveals that the average resident of Deschutes county has direct access to almost twice as many trails. Despite the presence of unpaved roads for recreational riding in the southeastern part of Lane county, most residents live in Eugene, and thus can only easily access the paved trails close to town.

The examples above illustrate how a single metric might not tell the whole story of recreational bicycling access and how different geographies have different strengths and weaknesses with respect to existing infrastructure. By leveraging this unique dataset and considering access from multiple angles, PeopleForBikes hopes our new tool will support investment in high quality recreational bicycling infrastructure and connect new places to ride with where people live, allowing more people in communities across the U.S. to access the countless joys and benefits of biking.

PeopleForBikes’ New Tool to Expand Access to Recreational Bicycling

With bicycling participation increasing across the U.S., it is critical that we support and continue this growth by creating more great places to ride. Safe, connected, and accessible places to ride are essential to getting more people biking more often and improving road safety nationwide. Both the Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and the Urban Bikeway Design Guide from the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) offer communities clear paths to making better bike infrastructure a reality. 

In December, AASHTO released the fifth edition of the Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities, marking a significant step forward for the organization’s guidance for U.S. communities of all shapes and sizes to design safe, effective, and inclusive bike infrastructure. AASHTO represents transportation departments across the U.S. and in addition to its other activities supporting transportation work, offers guidance for engineers and designers on geometric design for highways and streets.

The latest edition of the long-awaited AASHTO guide reflects several advances in design thinking, safety research, and technological innovation since its last publication in 2012. The fifth edition includes nine new chapters and significant revisions to seven others, covering topics including:  

Choosing the right bikeway type for different contexts 

Designing shared-use paths, protected bike lanes, side paths, and bike boulevards/neighborhood greenways

Improving intersections, traffic signals, and roundabouts for people riding bikes

NACTO introduced the third edition of its Urban Bikeway Design Guide in January. NACTO is a collaborative network of 100 cities and transit agencies across North America. By fostering the exchange of innovative transportation ideas and practices, NACTO empowers communities to tackle shared challenges and develop solutions that address transportation issues.

The updated NACTO guide offers communities a comprehensive toolkit for designing safer, more accessible, connected bike networks. Endorsed by the U.S. Department of Transportation and used widely across North America, the guide goes beyond focusing on individual bike projects to emphasize the importance of cohesive networks that cater to diverse users. 

Implementing signal phasing strategies that improve safety for people walking and biking 

Improving accessibility for pedestrians walking along and crossing bikeways

Operating and maintaining bike facilities

Maintaining bike facilities during construction disruptions

Planning for newer mobility options like e-bikes, cargo bikes, and scooters

“Access to transportation means access to opportunity,” said NACTO Executive Director Ryan Russo in a press release. “The third edition of the Urban Bikeway Design Guide takes all that we’ve learned from hundreds of projects across North America. It provides more than just a kit of parts for designing a bike lane: it provides the how-to blueprint for creating a whole bike network for people of all ages, abilities, and identities.”


Both guides emphasize the importance of a flexible, context-sensitive approach and equip communities with the practical information needed to address unique challenges with design solutions that prioritize safety and usability. Advocates for better biking can leverage these updated guides to continue the momentum for better biking, break down barriers to riding for vulnerable or marginalized groups, and create a safer future for people of all ages and abilities.


With these guides now available, it’s time to put them into action and make our communities great places to ride a bike.

You can help by encouraging your state, city, or town to formally adopt the fifth edition of the AASHTO Bicycle Guide and the third edition of NACTO’s Urban Bikeway Design Guide. You can also ask your elected officials and decision-makers to bring in experts to conduct training sessions on both guides to ensure state and local engineers and designers are well equipped to build high quality bike projects in your community.  

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To further support the adoption and implementation of great places to ride, PeopleForBikes offers two powerful tools for communities looking to improve biking locally: City Ratings and the Great Bike Infrastructure Project. Our City Ratings program evaluates and scores communities on how good they are for biking based on the quality of their low-stress bike networks, identifying strengths and areas for improvement. The Great Bike Infrastructure Project complements City Ratings by tracking thousands of planned bike projects across the U.S. and offering guidance to accelerate the development of safe, fun, and connected bike networks.

New Resources Offer Guidance on Building Great Places to Ride

In 2024, PeopleForBikes awarded a grant to the Active Transportation Alliance in Chicago to support the nonprofit advocacy organizations’ transformative Safe Streets for All campaign. The campaign focuses on two key policy priorities: renewing funding for the Chicago Works Capital Improvement Plan, which accelerated the construction of concrete-protected bike lanes across Chicago in recent years, and lowering Chicago’s default speed limit to 25 miles per hour. 


With speed being a leading factor in traffic fatalities across the U.S., reducing speed limits is a significant step toward making streets safer across the city of Chicago. The Active Transportation Alliance led a coalition of 16 community-based organizations to advocate for this change, garnering more than 1,000 comments from local community members and providing expert testimony at public hearings. In October 2024, the ordinance to lower speed limits passed out of the Chicago City Council's Committee on Pedestrian and Traffic Safety and both the Active Transportation Alliance and PeopleForBikes continue advocating for its full approval by the City Council.

Alongside advocating for safer policies, the Active Transportation Alliance also works to advance critical bike infrastructure projects. On the Far South Side, the organization is advocating for side paths on 103rd Street and 130th Street to address long-standing connectivity challenges caused by industrial and highway infrastructure. On the Southwest Side, the group is supporting the implementation of neighborhood bike networks and safety improvements along the historically dangerous Pulaski Avenue. On the Northwest Side, the Active Transportation Alliance partnered with community leaders to improve the protected bike lane along Milwaukee Avenue, a vital corridor serving a local high school. 


The Active Transportation Alliance’s work in Chicago offers several valuable lessons for other communities looking to improve biking locally:

Build broad coalitions. The Active Transportation Alliance’s Safe Streets for All Coalition brings together diverse stakeholders, including groups focused on youth and disability rights. The collective outcomes achieved by the coalition demonstrate the value of developing broad-based support to drive systemic change.

Make engagement in advocacy accessible. By offering stipends, translation services, and accessible meeting locations, the Active Transportation Alliance ensures that the voices of community members who are sometimes excluded from public planning processes are heard and involved in decisions.

Cultivate relationships with decision-makers. Through one-on-one meetings, public comments, and grassroots advocacy, the Active Transportation Alliance cultivates meaningful relationships with city officials and other key decision-makers. This direct engagement is instrumental in securing wins for bike projects and policies. 

Fund bike infrastructure. Local programs like Chicago Works enable rapid deployment of life-saving infrastructure while freeing federal funds for other large-scale projects. This approach provides a model for other communities seeking to accelerate the development of their bike network.

Reduce speeds. Reducing vehicle speeds is one of the simplest yet most effective first steps to improve road safety — studies show that lower speeds make streets safer for all road users. By advocating for a citywide default speed limit of 25 mph, the Active Transportation Alliance sets an important precedent for other communities to follow. Integrating additional infrastructure investments to lower speeds via smart street design will further improve road safety in the future. Bonus: Lowering speed limits can boost your City Ratings score!


PeopleForBikes is proud to support the Active Transportation Alliance as they champion safer streets and connected bike networks across Chicago. Their work is a powerful example of how all communities can prioritize biking and safety, creating healthier, more accessible communities for all. 


To learn more, check out PeopleForBikes’ guidance on legislative initiatives that improve bike infrastructure, like funding bike infrastructure and reducing speeds, and effective local advocacy tactics like building broad coalitions, increasing community engagement, and fostering relationships with decision-makers.

Supporting Better Biking in Chicago With the Active Transportation Alliance

In the 2024 general election, PeopleForBikes’ VoteForBikes campaign tracked 30 bike-related measures on state and local ballots across the country. Out of a possible $33 billion available on November ballots, voters approved an impressive $26 billion in funding to support paved and off-road bicycle infrastructure projects. Combined with $1.4 billion approved in earlier elections, VoteForBikes supported a total of $27.4 billion for better biking nationwide in 2024!

Nearly 60% of the approved funding, totaling $16 billion, will go towards projects largely focused on the construction and improvement of safe places to ride including protected bike lanes, bike network expansions, street safety upgrades, and traffic calming improvements. The remaining $11.4 billion will fund the construction and maintenance of off-road trails and the acquisition and management of open space that supports and increases recreation opportunities. 

We collected seven of the most important pro-bike measures from the November election below. Visit our VoteForBikes page for a state-by-state breakdown of other pro-bikes measures in your area and around the country. 


Voters in the Evergreen State successfully voted against this harmful measure to protect critical funding for transformative multi-modal transportation infrastructure. Funding from the 2021 Climate Commitment Act (CCA), Washington’s cap-and-invest program designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, will continue to be available. This program funds the Move Ahead Washington package, which provides $1.3 billion for bike and pedestrian projects and programs that support safe and connected places to ride a bike across the state, including Connecting Communities Grants, Complete Streets, Safe Routes to School, and the School Based Bike Program. 

With a two-thirds majority, Seattle voters approved Proposition 1 and replaced the expiring Levy to Move Seattle. This 8-year, $1.55 billion investment represents a significant proportion of the Seattle Department of Transportation's budget and will increase mobility options across the city. Funding will be used to construct new protected bike lanes and greenways, improve the safety of existing bike lanes, and complete network gaps with an emphasis on southern Seattle. 


Nearly 60% of voters in the Golden State voted YES on Proposition 4, a $10 billion general obligation bond focused on safe drinking water, wildfire prevention, drought preparedness, clean air, and open space preservation projects. Of the $10 billion, nearly $2 billion will support the construction, maintenance, and improvement of recreation and active transportation infrastructure (like bike paths and trails!) to help combat the effects of climate change. 

City and County of San Francisco, California

San Francisco residents approved Proposition K to establish a park at Ocean Beach. This measure will amend the park code to permanently dedicate car-free space at the Parkway at Upper Great Highway after a temporary shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic was extremely popular. This initiative will allow people of all ages and abilities to safely gather and enjoy the outdoors for generations to come while also preserving delicate natural resources along San Francisco’s coastline. The park will increase opportunities to safely walk, bike, roll, and use transit, whether for recreation or transportation, without having to interact with vehicular traffic. 


Environment and Natural Resources Fund Amendment 

In a resounding win for the environment, Minnesotans overwhelmingly voted YES to reauthorize state lottery revenue to the Environment and Natural Resources Fund by constitutional amendment. This big win will provide a projected $1 billion in funding for projects that protect, conserve, and enhance air, water, land, and wildlife across the state. These projects include the creation and expansion of biking trails and biking tours that will increase recreation opportunities and continue Minnesota’s efforts to stay at the forefront as one of the best places to ride a bike in the U.S. This amendment also authorizes a 1.5% increase in funding for community grants that invest in underserved communities so everyone can enjoy access to nature. 

Voters in Maine approved Question 4 to authorize a historic appropriation of $30 million to the Maine Trails Program and fund the design, development, and maintenance of recreation and active transportation trails. With a focus on accessibility for all and a significant proportion of funding going towards non-motorized or multi-use trails, this funding will significantly expand opportunities to ride a bike across the state. 


Central Ohio Transit Authority (Franklin County, Ohio)

Voters in the greater Columbus area approved the Central Ohio Transit Authority Sales and Use Tax in a significant win for multi-modal transportation. This tax will generate an estimated $6 billion in revenue over the next 25 years to strengthen the rapidly developing region’s transportation system. While the primary focus is on public transit, nearly one-third of revenue will support transit-supportive projects like safe and connected places to walk and bike that facilitate safe access and first- and last-mile connections. Plans include building 500 miles of new bike paths, multi-use trails, and sidewalks, with 150 miles planned for completion in the next five years. 


Thanks to voters like you making your voice heard, we showed that Americans across the country value access to more safe and connected places to ride a bike. Thank you for joining us in voting to support vibrant communities where people and the environment are happier and healthier and everyone can access affordable and safe modes of transportation and recreation.


Looking for even more ways to get involved and make a difference? Explore PeopleForBikes’ Great Bike Infrastructure Project to support more great places to ride in your backyard and become a PeopleForBikes Foundation member to support better biking in your community and hundreds of others across the U.S.

Voters Approved $27.4 Billion to Support Better Biking in 2024

On December 11, the PeopleForBikes Coalition Board of Directors approved our 2024 Industry Community Grants, totaling $75,000 across 10 grants. The grants will help fund projects that support our focus on building infrastructure that makes communities across the U.S. great places to ride a bike. This year’s supported projects include urban and rural trail systems, a pump track and a skills trail, several projects that make it safer for children to bike to school, and infrastructure development in large metropolitan areas. 

2024 PeopleForBikes Industry Community Grants

Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia — $10,000

Philadelphia, PA | Support for the Schuylkill Crossing: Connecting Communities and Opportunities project that will activate a set of bikeways that constitute an entirely off road bike and pedestrian connection from Southwest Philadelphia and South Philadelphia to Center City and beyond.

Richmond, CA | A collaboration with community groups and county agencies to support the North Richmond Bike Bus program, leading to safe routes to school and critical improvements to this long-time disadvantaged community.

Pittsburgh, PA | Resources for the development of children’s bike buses throughout the region that may be used as a national guide and lead to advocacy for safe routes to school in hundreds of communities nationwide.   

California Bicycle Coalition — $10,000 

Sacramento, CA | A critical guide to the development of “slow streets” infrastructure on neighborhood streets that represent key links in urban bikeway networks in every American city. 


Berkeley, CA | Materials and advocacy for a demonstration project of a slow street in West Berkeley. 

Houston, TX | Infrastructure, including signage, for the improvement of dozens of dangerous intersections where the 4-mile Columbia Tap Trail crosses roadways.

Lake Placid, NY | A critical match for other donations that will close the funding gap for an 8-mile trail linking rural communities in the High Peaks region in New York’s Adirondack Park.


Native American Advancement Foundation — $10,000

Tohono O’odham Nation, AZ | The addition of a much-needed pump track in a brand new and popular “Free as a Bird Skatepark” in this native community. 

Austin, TX | Eva Carrillo de Garcia Park will get a new Skills Trail connected to a disadvantaged neighborhood in East Austin and a 4-mile bike loop around the perimeter of the park.

McClintock High School Bike Club — $5,500 

Tempe, AZ | Bike bus advocacy for improved school access, including an off-road path reaching the school, neighborhood bike route enhancements, and a new highway overpass.

PeopleForBikes' 2024 Industry Community Grants Recipients

As we look ahead to the 2028 Olympics, PeopleForBikes is taking advantage of a unique opportunity to transform Los Angeles into a great place to ride a bike. Our approach involves capitalizing on the attention generated by the Olympics to expedite permanent improvements across the city alongside a more localized focus on Council District 1, whose newly elected leader looks to create an ambitious network of neighborhood bikeways.

A Countywide Vision for a Multimodal Olympics

The 2028 Olympics provide a historic opportunity to overhaul Los Angeles’ transportation system. With nearly 15,000 athletes participating in the Games and millions of international visitors expected to attend, organizers hope to use the Olympics to redefine Los Angeles as a multimodal city and plan to invest in alternative transportation to make that vision a reality. The goal is to create a new reputation for the city and avoid the traffic problems that plagued the 1932 and 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. Looking beyond 2028, PeopleForBikes is working to leverage the investment in this one-time event to create permanent, long-term improvements through infrastructure and programming.

Central to the proposed infrastructural changes is the Festival Trail, currently envisioned as a multimodal corridor stretching more than 40 miles across the city reaching key venues and transit hubs. The Festival Trail will connect low-stress bikeways, beautiful walking trails, and efficient bus rapid transit service to enable safe and accessible car-free mobility across Los Angeles. Working alongside local advocacy group Move LA and coordinating with the Los Angeles Department of Transportation and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, PeopleForBikes is pushing to create safe and connected bike paths throughout this corridor and beyond.

The Los Angeles Festival Trail will connect almost every Olympic venue via multimodal trail, providing visitors with a car-free way to navigate the Games. PHOTO: MoveLA 

We are also advocating for the development of an additional bike path connecting the Festival Trail to the Los Angeles River. Through our investment and a partnership with Move LA and BikeLA, we are confident the new path will be built in time for spectators to enjoy a glorious 22-mile bike ride from the swimming venues in Inglewood to the beach venues at Long Beach, demonstrating just how bikeable LA can be for visitors and residents alike.


Other infrastructure improvements PeopleForBikes is advocating for include the development of mobility hubs located at major transit stations expected to handle the bulk of olympic traffic. These hubs will feature bike repair stations, plenty of high-quality bike parking, and numerous bike share stations along with other mobility services such as accommodations for people with disabilities and car share programs for people who don’t own a car. 

With vast areas of the city off-limits to delivery trucks for security reasons during the Olympics, PeopleForBikes is also championing the potential of cargo bikes for local deliveries. We are working with delivery companies and city officials to develop a bike-based delivery system that will meet the security needs of the Olympics while simultaneously establishing a sustainable, zero-emission delivery system that can be used well beyond 2028. 


In addition to critical infrastructure improvements, programming can also play a huge role in changing Angelenos’ view of their city from a car-dependent metropolis to a county of walkable and bikeable neighborhoods connected via convenient and affordable multimodal options. In the past, big events in Los Angeles resulted in massive traffic congestion, prompting many people to stay home and avoid the roads altogether. For the 2028 Summer Games, positive marketing showcasing easy and safe alternatives to driving can encourage residents to get out and enjoy their city without a car, providing what will be an unprecedented experience for many long-time locals and an opportunity to transform their daily mobility habits.  


Transforming Council District 1 With an Ambitious Bikeway Network

While we work toward countywide improvements ahead of 2028, we are also focused on driving local-level change in Council District 1 (CD1). Home to thousands of low-income residents who lack reliable access to automobiles, car parking, and even bike parking, the district is represented by newly elected Councilor Eunisses Hernandez, who has already shown tremendous support for bicycling and a desire to make up for previous disinvestment in creating safer streets.

Figueroa Street was improved with protected bike lanes last year by the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, but the improvements stopped as the street entered CD1 due to opposition from the previous councilmember. With Councilor Hernandez in charge, PeopleForBikes is now working to extend these bike lanes into the district. PHOTO: DC Engineering

PeopleForBikes’ work in CD1 is part of our larger Great Bike Infrastructure Project, a nationwide effort to transform communities by developing safer and connected places to ride a bike. In CD1, we’re building a coalition of advocates to drive local support and ensure that our ambitious plans for a connected network of bikeways align with community needs and aspirations. We assembled a committee made up of leaders from groups including CicLAvia, BikeLA, and Los Angeles Walks who bring local expertise and community connections to the initiative. Together, we’re focused on identifying projects that will make the biggest impact and securing funding to make these projects a reality.

The infrastructure projects we’re supporting will transform the diverse neighborhoods that make up the district straddling the Los Angeles River from northeast Los Angeles to the densely populated neighborhoods adjacent to downtown, including Chinatown, Westlake, Pico Union, and parts of Koreatown. The proposals include protected bike lanes, low-speed shared streets, and bike paths. With the support of the Councilmember and donations from PeopleForBikes members, our plan is to invest in advocacy efforts necessary to win approval for these projects and turn this central part of Los Angeles into a great place to ride a bike. 

While Los Angeles has long been known as one of the most car-centric cities in the U.S., change is on the horizon. If Los Angeles can change for the better, that same change will be possible anywhere in the United States. This is why taking advantage of the Olympics and focused investment in central Los Angeles is so important. By working with local partners who share our vision of a more bikeable Los Angeles, we can develop best practices for success and show countless other cities across the country what’s possible with the proper tools and investment.


PeopleForBikes is hosting a launch party for our campaign to transform Council District 1 in spring 2025. Send an email to infrastructure@peopleforbikes.org if you are interested in being involved.

Building the Future of Biking in Los Angeles

Officials and advocates enjoy the new Pershing Bikeway on its opening day. PHOTO CREDIT: San Diego County Bicycle Coalition

More than 200 high-priority bike projects were constructed across the U.S. in the last year according to PeopleForBikes’ National Bike Project Tracker, a first-of-its-kind database as part of our Great Bike Infrastructure Project. 

With the goal of creating more safe, fun, and connected places to ride in communities nationwide, the Great Bike Infrastructure Project is fast-tracking thousands of bike projects in all 50 states. From protected bike lanes to multi-use paths to singletrack mountain bike trails, each project in our database features a basic description and project status — proposed or planned, approved but not funded, funded and ready for construction, or completed — alongside useful links for people to support local advocacy organizations and get projects across the finish line in their backyard.


As we enter the second year of the Great Bike Infrastructure Project, we’re celebrating a few of our favorite projects that were completed in the last 12 months along with the many benefits that bike projects can offer communities of all shapes and sizes. 

300 West is a critical north-south arterial road in Salt Lake City that previously wasn’t safe for biking. Local leaders took advantage of the need to repave the street to make much needed improvements, implementing Complete Streets strategies championed by the Great Bike Infrastructure Project. Using funding from the city’s “Funding Our Future” program, a local sales tax that can be a great funding source for creating better places to bike, the city constructed new crosswalks, planted trees for shade, and built a new 10-foot-wide bike path adjacent to the sidewalk so bike riders and pedestrians can both travel freely without conflict.  

San Diego’s new Pershing Bikeway connects the diverse North Park neighborhood to bike lanes near downtown through Balboa Park. The final 2.3-mile project includes a combined two-way protected bike lane connecting to a separate bike path which then connects to one-way protected bike lanes. The bikeway creates a more comfortable and convenient way for people of all ages and abilities to travel while providing an important link in San Diego’s growing connected bike network. 

Madison is expanding access to close-to-home recreation for thousands of local residents thanks to the recently completed singletrack trails through Sycamore Park. The 1.5-mile “adventure trail” features natural surfaces optimized for biking. Portions of the trail are covered in a natural stone chip seal surface while others are made up of native soil, wood, and stone. While communities on the west and south sides of Madison have access to many miles of singletrack, this new section of trail expands riding opportunities on the east side of the city, where trail access was previously scarce.


Is there a local bike project in your community that needs support? Explore our interactive map to identify projects in your area and let us know if we need to add a new project to our list. You can also explore our tools and resources to help advance more bike projects in your backyard. PeopleForBikes is committed to making sure every one of the more than 1,800 projects in our database is constructed to share the countless benefits of safe, fun, and connected places to ride with millions of people across the U.S.

Bike Projects Are Benefiting Communities Nationwide

This November, $33 billion in funding for better biking is on ballots in cities, counties, and states from coast to coast. Through our VoteForBikes campaign, PeopleForBikes tracks and advocates for ballot measures that make it safer and easier to ride a bike in communities across the country.

LEARN ABOUT PRO-BIKE MEASURES ON YOUR BALLOT

With election season in full swing, we collected seven of the most important measures on state and local ballots in the 2024 general election that could significantly move the needle for better bike riding across the U.S. 

This harmful measure could eliminate critical funding for multi-modal transportation opportunities in the state of Washington. If approved, Initiative 2117 will repeal the 2021 Climate Commitment Act (CCA), Washington’s cap-and-invest program designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In doing so, the transformational $1.3 billion in funding for bike and pedestrian projects that are included in the Move Ahead Washington package funded by the CCA will no longer be available. This measure will drastically reduce, and even eliminate, safe and connected places to ride a bike throughout Washington while setting a dangerous precedent for climate and transportation policy in other states across the U.S. 

Proposition 1 will replace the expiring Levy to Move Seattle that was approved by voters in 2015 to invest in and expand the city’s transportation system. The current levy represents one third of the Seattle Department of Transportation budget, positioning this measure as an important opportunity to continue funding safe and connected ways to move around Seattle over the next eight years. The measure outlines a $1.55 billion investment, including significant funding to build new protected bike lanes and greenways, adding safety features to existing bike lanes, improving bike accessibility on roads, and completing network gaps, particularly in southern Seattle.

A $10 billion general obligation bond is on the ballot for residents of the Golden State, which will invest in a variety of climate-focused projects including safe drinking water, wildfire prevention, drought preparedness, clean air, open space preservation, and expanded recreation opportunities. Of the $10 billion, nearly $2 billion will directly impact places to ride a bike through the construction of new trails, maintenance and improvement of existing trails, and support of active transportation infrastructure. This measure illustrates how bikes can be positioned as an effective vehicle for climate action by reducing the number of car trips and facilitating greater connection with the outdoors.


Residents of San Francisco have an opportunity to permanently dedicate car-free space on the Parkway at Upper Great Highway alongside Ocean Beach. If approved, this measure will provide space for people to enjoy the outdoors; increase transportation access for those who walk, bike, roll, and use transit; and preserve delicate natural resources along the city’s picturesque coastline. Children, families, commuters, and outdoor enthusiasts will all be able to enjoy a safe place to bike in the park without the fear of riding in traffic while enjoying the views and a sense of community if this measure is approved. 


Environment and Natural Resources Fund Amendment

Minnesotans have the opportunity to continue the state’s long history of protecting and enjoying the outdoors by reauthorizing lottery revenue to the Environment and Natural Resources Fund through 2050. This amendment will provide a stable source of funding for projects that protect, conserve, and enhance air, water, land, and wildlife while expanding opportunities to recreate across the state, including the creation and expansion of biking trails as well as historic biking tours. The proposed measure also increases the amount of funding that can be dispersed from the fund for community grants that invest in underserved communities so everyone can access the many benefits of nature. If approved, nearly $3 billion in revenue will be generated over the next 25 years to support the fund.

The Maine Trails Bond represents a first-ever opportunity to fund a network of trails across the state if approved by voters. This measure will issue up to $30 million to establish the Maine Trails Program and oversee the design, development, and maintenance of recreation and active transportation trails. One-quarter of the funds will support non-motorized trails, another quarter of funds will support motorized trails, and the remaining funds will support multi-use trails. Funds will prioritize sustainability and accessibility to promote outdoor access for all and significantly expand opportunities to ride a bike across Maine. 

Central Ohio Transit Authority (Columbus, Ohio)

To keep pace with development in Columbus and surrounding areas, the proposed sales and use tax for the Central Ohio Transit Authority represents a historic opportunity to generate revenue and strengthen the region’s multimodal transportation system. Nearly one-third of funding generated from the sales tax will go towards transit-supportive projects including bike and pedestrian infrastructure. The proposed measure outlines plans to build 500 miles of new bike paths, multi-use trails, and sidewalks by 2050 to complement transit infrastructure that will significantly increase mobility options for people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds in the region. 

Ensure your voice is heard this November by making a plan to vote, including checking voter registration deadlines. You can make a difference in your community by visiting our VoteForBikes tracker to identify a pro-bike measure on your ballot. Spread the word about exciting opportunities to improve biking in your backyard by sharing these ballot measures with your family, friends, neighbors, and community members. We can all pave the way for more safe, fun, and connected places to ride a bike in our communities by voting for bikes this election day.

$33 Billion is on the Ballot for Bikes This November

In late July, PeopleForBikes unveiled our newest groundbreaking initiative: The Great Bike Infrastructure Project. This ambitious program will transform communities by advancing pro-bike policies and thousands of bike infrastructure projects in all 50 states, making biking safer and more accessible for everyone.

In the coming months, we’ll take a deeper dive into the specific projects and policies included in the Great Bike Infrastructure Project. For now, read on for a high-level overview of the program. 

At the heart of this new program is a national database featuring an interactive map and list of more than 1,000 bicycle infrastructure projects across the United States. The tool tracks crucial information including each project’s status, state and local advocacy organizations supporting the project, and links to learn more. This first-of-its-kind, easily accessible resource will help people learn about projects in their communities — like bike trails, shared-use paths, protected bike lanes, bike parks, and more — and help ensure they get funded and built. 

Local advocacy efforts are often required to advance these projects, and we encourage you to check out the projects in your area and contact the linked state and local advocacy organizations to learn how you can support getting those projects across the finish line. If you’d like to add a project to our database or correct the details of an existing project, please visit our FAQ page. 

Legislative Strategies for Bike Infrastructure

As part of the Great Bike Infrastructure Project, PeopleForBikes also created a Legislative Guide to assist policymakers and advocates in expanding bike infrastructure for transportation and recreation. As we work to make the U.S. the best place in the world to ride a bike, this comprehensive guide outlines the four most effective legislative approaches to accelerate the construction of safe and connected places to ride. 

The guide includes legislative examples from a variety of communities and states, with tips on adjusting policies to suit your own community’s needs. To help advance these policies in your community, we also included links to existing legislative language to use when crafting your own bills. 

While there is now an unprecedented amount of federal funding available for bike infrastructure, state and local funding are vital to propel more projects forward and provide the 20-50% local match required for most federal grants. Our guide offers examples of more than a dozen different state and local funding mechanisms for bike infrastructure ranging from Tax Increment Financing districts to sales tax revenue and everything in between.

One of the key strategies for advancing bike infrastructure is the implementation of Complete Streets mandates. Complete Streets ensure that all road users, including people walking, rolling, biking, and using transit, have safe and accessible ways to get where they want to go. Our guide provides examples of legislation that include strong and specific requirements for creating Complete Streets, limited exceptions, and clear roles and responsibilities to make Complete Streets mandates effective.

Advance Bike Infrastructure Through Climate Legislation

Our guide emphasizes how state and local climate legislation can facilitate the construction of bike projects. Including bike infrastructure in climate legislation can help reduce vehicle miles traveled and greenhouse gas emissions, ultimately contributing to serious environmental and fiscal benefits for communities. Our guide highlights examples of climate legislation in Minnesota, Washington, Rhode Island, and Hawaii, with specific examples of the most effective pieces.

Making streets safer for people riding bikes is paramount to encouraging biking as a mode of transportation and recreation. The guide highlights several strategies for local communities and states to achieve safer streets by reducing traffic speeds, banning right turns on red, and adopting modern design standards. 

PeopleForBikes invites bike industry members, advocates, policymakers, and everyday riders to join us in creating more liveable communities by helping advance pro-bike legislation and bike infrastructure right in your backyard. Together, we can build a vibrant, healthier, and more sustainable future for all.

For more information about PeopleForBikes’ Great Bike Infrastructure Project, visit infrastructure.peopleforbikes.org.

Introducing the Great Bike Infrastructure Project

Each year, PeopleForBikes’ City Ratings program evaluates thousands of communities worldwide on the quality of their low-stress bike networks through our Bicycle Network Analysis (BNA). Over time, we’ve seen many cities across the U.S. improve their City Ratings scores. While all score improvements are worthy of recognition, several cities achieved incredible increases in just a few years, showcasing the impact of investments in bike networks and supportive policies that create great places to ride.

Which cities have seen the highest score increases over time? City Ratings data reveals that 39 U.S. cities boosted their scores by at least 20 points since 2020 through the implementation of specific projects that align with our SPRINT principles: safe speeds, protected bike lanes, reallocated space, intersection treatments, network connections, and trusted data. 

Note: Although City Ratings began in 2018, PeopleForBikes refined the program in 2020 to reflect actual speed limits for cities, resulting in some changes to scores between 2018 and 2020.


Learn how you can support bike projects in your area that can increase your community’s City Rating Score. Through the Great Bike Infrastructure Project, we’re tracking progress on thousands of projects nationwide.

Policy changes also play a key role in improving scores. Our Legislative Strategies Guide for Safe and Connected Bike Infrastructure outlines policies that create great bike networks, including increased state and local funding for bike infrastructure, Complete Streets mandates, and lower speeds. These policies are critical, as most U.S. cities have a lot of work to do to truly become great places for biking. 

Read on to learn which cities achieved the most dramatic score increases between 2020 and 2024.

Minneapolis' score surged from 17 to 71, leading large U.S. cities for the second year in a row. Key factors include speed limit reductions, OpenStreetMap data improvements, and the construction of protected bike lanes like those on Bryant Avenue South, which was featured as one of our Best New Bike Lanes of 2023. 

Not to be outdone by its neighbor, Minneapolis, Saint Paul jumped from a score of just 9 in 2020 to 61 in 2024 thanks to lowered speed limits and projects like the Jackson Street Reconstruction Project, which added safe bicycle facilities as part of the city’s Capital City Bikeway System. With the city planning to add more than 100 new miles of protected bike lanes, Saint Paul’s score is sure to increase in the coming years. 


Learn more about Jackson’s improvements, including those led by the local advocacy group Friends of Pathways, here. 

In 2023, Bloomington reduced speed limits for all neighborhood streets to 25 miles per hour, contributing to a 17-point increase in its City Ratings score. In recent years, Bloomington also expanded its network of neighborhood greenways and constructed numerous road-adjacent shared-use paths and protected bike lanes like the 7-Line, which made our list of the Best New Bike Lanes in 2022. 

Aurora was ahead of most American cities back in 2016, when the city installed a protected bike lane on River Street to close a critical gap in the regional Fox River Trail system. Since then, Aurora increased its score to 50, partially thanks to updated speed limit data in OpenStreetMap.

While it's perhaps not surprising for Minneapolis, the highest-rated large city for biking in the U.S., to have suburbs with good bike networks, it’s always encouraging to see suburban communities climbing the ranks of bike-friendly places. Saint Louis Park, a community of 50,000 people to the west of Minneapolis, increased its score from 15 to 55 over the past four years by lowering its default speed limit to 20 miles per hour and filling in bike network gaps through their Connect the Park program.

In 2022, Corvallis’ city staff updated its OpenStreetMap data to accurately reflect existing bicycle infrastructure, including its Active Travel Corridors, which reduce cut-through traffic, creating a citywide network of safe places to bike. 


Key West enhanced its bike network with several projects, including improvements to the Crosstown Greenway and Staples Avenue bicycle and pedestrian bridge. In 2020, speed limits in the city’s Old Town neighborhood were also lowered to 20 miles per hour, creating a safer environment for all road users.

Although Coeur D’Alene hasn’t yet a score of 50 yet, the city already has 50 miles of multi-use paths, including the popular Centennial, Prairie, and Atlas, trails, as well as more than 64 miles of bike lanes. Thanks to its Complete Streets policy, the city intends to complete another 25 miles of bike paths and 32 miles of bike lanes to further improve its network in the coming years.


After reducing the citywide speed limit to 25 miles per hour in 2016, Somerville further reduced speed limits on most residential streets to 20 miles per hour in 2020 and 2021. The city also made forward progress on its envisioned bike network through projects like the Somerville Community Path Extension and Somerville Avenue.


Following Cambridge’s 2020 Cycling Safety Ordinance, the city greatly expanded its bike network. As one of our 2024 Cities on the Rise, you can read more about Cambridge’s work to improve bicycling here.

2025 Cities on the Rise Candidates — Honorable Mentions


While that rounds out the most dramatic score increases over the past four years, numerous communities also increased their BNA scores by at least 20 points during the same period, including:


From Minneapolis' impressive 54-point surge to improvements in smaller towns, these advancements highlight the critical role that strategic investments in bike infrastructure and supportive policies like lower speed limits and Complete Streets mandates play in creating low-stress bike networks and making cities great places to ride a bike. 


Join us in supporting these efforts and stay informed about PeopleForBikes' initiatives to support better biking by signing up for PeopleForBikes’ newsletter and Action Alert program.

Whether you're an advocate, policymaker, or simply someone who enjoys biking in your community, there are numerous state and local strategies you can push for to improve your city’s bike infrastructure and increase its City Ratings score. City Ratings is PeopleForBikes’ annual program that ranks thousands of communities worldwide on the quality of their low-stress bike networks.


In an effort to help create more great places to ride across the U.S., we collected the most successful policies that boost City Ratings scores along with examples of recent wins from communities nationwide. For more information on how and why to implement these strategies, follow the links in each section to access additional resources from PeopleForBikes. 


1. Increase State and Local Funding for Bike Infrastructure

More funding at the state and local levels to build bike infrastructure is critical to building low-stress bike networks that improve City Ratings scores. 

People for Bikes

Bike Networks

PeopleForBikes at Work on Bike Networks

News

How to Advocate for Better Biking in Your Community

2024’s Best New U.S. Bikeways

PeopleForBikes’ New Tool to Expand Access to Recreational Bicycling

New Resources Offer Guidance on Building Great Places to Ride

Supporting Better Biking in Chicago With the Active Transportation Alliance

Voters Approved $27.4 Billion to Support Better Biking in 2024

PeopleForBikes' 2024 Industry Community Grants Recipients

Building the Future of Biking in Los Angeles

Bike Projects Are Benefiting Communities Nationwide

$33 Billion is on the Ballot for Bikes This November

Introducing the Great Bike Infrastructure Project

2024’s Most Improved Cities for Biking

Boost Your City Ratings Score With These Four Policies

Better Bike Infrastructure Saves Lives

PeopleForBikes’ Guide to Effective Local Bike Advocacy

Own Your Backyard: An Industry Guide to Supporting Local Bike Infrastructure

PeopleForBikes’ 2024 Policy Wins Advance Bicycling Safety and Access Nationwide

Your Bike Advocacy Playbook

Paving the Way for Complete Bike Networks: The Essential Role of State and Local Funding

A Legislative Playbook to Build More Bikeable Communities

People for Bikes