We are developing recommendations on chemical management and a restricted substances list to mitigate risk, and best practices for packaging, waste and end of life issues, climate action and supply chain social responsibility for the industry.

Electric bicycle use is growing rapidly. We are assisting the industry in compliance with electric bicycle battery recycling regulations and vetting downstream recyclers to ensure the batteries are properly managed at their end of life.

Bicycling can play an important role in emergency preparedness plans. We are developing a framework for how bicycling can be incorporated into future disaster preparedness, and advocating for infrastructure that supports these plans, leveraging bikes as a FEMA response by pursuing disaster response provisions outlined in federal bills.

Picture a community where kids can ride safely to school, employees have a stress-free commute, and families can explore their neighborhood by bike on sunny weekends. Across the U.S., communities are making this vision a reality by investing in great places to ride, and PeopleForBikes’ City Ratings program shows where it’s working. Each year, our City Ratings scores more than 2,000 U.S. cities and towns based on the quality and connectivity of their bike networks, helping community members and decision-makers understand how easy it is to get around by bike and where improvements can make the biggest difference.

But why does this matter? Why should communities prioritize bike infrastructure in the first place? Here are six reasons why investing in great places to ride transforms lives, neighborhoods, and local economies. 

When bike infrastructure is safe and connected, it works for everyone: daily commuters, kids riding to school, older adults staying active, and families enjoying weekend outings. Whether you're biking to work or to a nearby park, safer streets make every ride more enjoyable and accessible. Investing in quality bike infrastructure like protected bike lanes, side paths, and safe intersections, reduces conflicts between road users and helps prevent crashes.

Streets with protected bike lanes experience up to 90% fewer injuries per mile compared to those without bike infrastructure.

Cities with protected bike lanes see 44% fewer fatalities for all road users and 50% fewer serious injuries.

Adding bike lanes can reduce crashes by as much as 49%.


Cycling offers a fun, low-impact way to stay active, supporting both physical and mental health. When biking is safe and enjoyable, more people choose to do it, leading to healthier lifestyles. For example, West Jefferson, North Carolina, invested $300,000 in a Complete Streets project and saved more than $2.7 million in health care costs in the first year alone.

Every $1 invested in active transportation saves $24 in averted medical costs.

People living in bike-friendly neighborhoods engage in 35–45 more minutes of moderate physical activity each week.

Proximity to trails increases the likelihood of meeting physical activity guidelines by 50% and riding a bicycle by 80%.

Youth who ride regularly report higher levels of mental well-being and spend fewer hours in front of screens.

Bike-friendly areas — both rural to urban — often see growth in small businesses, real estate value, and tourism. People riding bikes are more likely to visit local shops and restaurants, and a well-maintained bike network can boost foot traffic in commercial districts.

Great places to ride benefit not only commuters and city dwellers, but also outdoor recreationists and weekend visitors. Whether it's a local trail system, a downtown greenway, or a bike park, communities that build for biking see increased tourism, recreation spending, and demand for nearby housing and businesses.

The U.S. outdoor recreation economy generates $124.5 billion in tax revenue and supports nearly 5 million jobs, according to a 2024 Trust for Public Land report — highlighting the sector’s major role in national economic health.

Mountain biking tourists spend an average of $416 per visit, showing that trail-based recreation directly benefits local businesses and economies.

In Lancaster, California, a Complete Streets project led to a 96% increase in retail sales, demonstrating the transformative local economic impact of safer, more walkable and bikeable streets.

Protected bike lanes on 9th Avenue in NYC resulted in a 49% increase in retail sales, compared to just a 3% increase on nearby streets without the upgrades—showing the clear benefit of safe bike infrastructure for businesses.

Tourism revenue in areas with active transportation options is eight to nine times greater than the cost of infrastructure investment, according to Smart Growth America, offering a compelling case for public spending on walking and biking improvements.

Additionally, communities with higher City Ratings scores — those with robust, low-stress bike networks — often see increased sales at local bike shops, reflecting the positive economic impact of bike infrastructure.

Having the freedom to ride a bike makes it easier for people to get where they need to go, especially for short trips. In many communities, biking offers a reliable alternative to sitting in traffic or waiting for a ride, and it often costs significantly less than driving.

Safe, connected bike infrastructure gives people real choices in how they travel. And it serves all types of riders — not just those commuting to work, but also families biking to the playground or teens heading to a local park, pump track, or restaurant. When biking becomes a viable transportation and recreation option, the entire community benefits.

Fifty two percent of daily trips in the U.S. are three miles or less, a distance easily covered by bike.

In New York City, adding bike lanes reduced travel time along a key corridor by 35%.

U.S. households spend an average of $10,961 on transportation annually, making it the second-largest household expense.

One in four U.S. adults experiences transportation insecurity, often impacting low-income families.

By increasing access to low-cost modes of transportation like biking, communities can reduce household expenses and improve affordability.

Great bike infrastructure connects people to jobs, schools, parks, and transit, making opportunities more accessible for everyone. When bike networks are designed with all neighborhoods and riders in mind, they open up new possibilities, whether you’re traveling for work, heading to class, or enjoying an afternoon ride with your family.

Bike infrastructure like trails, BMX parks, and pump tracks are just as essential. These spaces offer safe and welcoming places for youth, families, and new riders to ride, learn, and build confidence, helping foster a lifelong love of biking while supporting physical and social wellbeing. 

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) found that building greenways, sidewalks, and bicycle infrastructure contributes 17 jobs per $1 million spent compared to other road and highway projects that range from 9 to 12.5 jobs created per $1 million spent.

An analysis of Complete Streets projects conducted by the National Complete Streets Coalition found:

A project in Lancaster, California, saw employment grow along the targeted corridor by 64% over three years. Comparatively, employment only increased by 3% citywide and a similar corridor that did not receive upgrades saw a decrease in employment during the same time.

In Orlando, Florida, streets with infrastructure updates saw 77 new businesses open, creating 560 jobs over seven years. 

Bicycling is one of the most efficient and low-impact ways to get around. When more people choose to bike, especially for short trips (which make up a significant percentage of all trips in the U.S.) it helps reduce air pollution, leading to cleaner, healthier air for everyone.

From work commutes to recreational trail rides, every bike trip taken instead of a car trip reduces greenhouse gas emissions. And by making biking safe and convenient for all types of riders, communities encourage more people to choose it, creating healthier environments and a better quality of life for all.

The transportation sector emits 29% of all greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S., making it the most significant contributor to national emissions.

Fifty two percent of all car trips made in the U.S. are three miles or less, and 28% are one mile or less. Three miles is equivalent to a 20-minute bike ride for an average person, indicating that shifting close-to-home trips from cars to bicycles is possible and can significantly reduce the number of miles driven in cars.

Shifting short car trips to walking or biking trips and using walking and biking to access public transit saves 13 million tons of CO2  emissions annually. Building additional active transportation infrastructure holds the potential to save more than 54 million tons.

Want to know how your community stacks up? PeopleForBikes’ City Ratings gives you the data. Use City Ratings to:

Explore your community’s score and see how it compares to other cities nationally and globally.

Identify where bike networks are strong and where there’s room to grow.

Support informed decisions about transportation and community planning.

Investing in great places to ride isn’t just about bikes — it’s about building communities that work for everyone. Whether you’re a weekday commuter, weekend mountain biker, small business owner, or parent teaching your child to ride, safe and connected bike infrastructure opens up countless opportunities.

From protected lanes and urban trails to pump tracks and natural surface paths, bike infrastructure creates healthier, more active, and more connected communities. No matter why you ride, great places to bike benefit us all.


Explore PeopleForBikes' City Ratings and discover how better biking can benefit your community.

This story is inspired by a Fast Company op-ed by Juliet Scott-Croxford, President of Brompton Americas, and a Fire-Hardened Trails report produced by the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship

When we think about emergency preparedness, images of go-bags, evacuation routes, and first responders often come to mind. But Juliet Scott-Croxford, president for the Americas for the bike manufacturer Brompton, recently made a compelling case in Fast Company for a simple, overlooked tool that could help Americans stay safe during natural disasters: the bicycle.

Scott-Croxford’s op-ed tells the story of a Los Angeles resident deeply impacted by footage of the 2023 Maui wildfires. As cars sat trapped in gridlock, people on foot or by bike had more options to escape. That harrowing image prompted her to buy a bike — not to go green — but to be ready for the next time danger comes close to home. That’s the heart of the message: bikes aren’t just for recreation. They’re vital to local resilience and preparedness in the face of increasing emergencies, be it wildfires, floods, or even traffic gridlock during a citywide evacuation.

Fire-Hardened Trails in Disaster Response

At PeopleForBikes, we’re expanding this conversation even further. At our recent eMTB Summit, which took place June 2–3 in Bentonville, Arkansas, we highlighted the role of trails and electric mountain bikes (eMTBs) in disaster resilience. Greg Williams of the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship presented groundbreaking work showing how bikes, especially eMTBs, can do more than help people escape disaster. They can actively prevent it.

In collaboration with the U.S. Forest Service and local partners, the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship pioneered the “fire-hardened trails” concept, a groundbreaking approach that merges recreational trail development with wildfire mitigation. Fire-hardened trails are more than just trails for hiking and biking; they’re purpose-built corridors that function as fuel breaks, emergency access routes, and zones for proactive vegetation management. Fire-hardened trails help slow or stop the spread of flames while providing critical infrastructure for firefighting crews and safer evacuation paths for nearby residents. Key elements include Reduced Ignition Zones, where small trees and dead brush are cleared within 15 feet of the trail, and Limited Spread Zones, which thin vegetation, limb trees, and improve canopy spacing up to 50 feet from the trail. Designed to meet both needs, these trails enhance outdoor access while reinforcing wildfire resilience. With more than 550 miles of routes identified, the effort could mitigate risk across more than 6,600 acres while permanently altering just 267 acres. It’s a visionary example of integrated land management that protects people, ecosystems, and local economies alike.

Electric mountain bikes offer unique advantages in disaster-prone regions. They allow first responders and community volunteers to quickly navigate remote areas with rugged terrain, transport gear and supplies in places where trucks can’t go, access wildfire-prone forests to scout hazards or support suppression efforts, and engage in trail maintenance and stewardship, particularly in hilly or expansive landscapes. By enabling more people to reach these areas safely and efficiently, eMTBs are fast becoming a critical tool in the fight against climate-driven disasters.

Here are key takeaways that cities, towns, and land managers — especially those in fire-prone, flood-prone, or heavily congested areas — should consider adopting now:

1. Secure Funding for Bike Infrastructure and Bike Incentives

A more bike-friendly community isn’t just better for traffic — it’s a strategic asset when disaster strikes. More protected bike lanes, fire-hardened trails, and connected routes mean more people can evacuate quickly and safely if needed. Cities like Denver have led the way by allocating millions in local transportation budgets for safer streets and e-bike rebates. Scott-Croxford points out how grassroots advocates like June Churchill — dubbed Denver’s “Bike Mayor” — have helped make cycling safer and more accessible, not just for enthusiasts, but for everyday people.

2. Invest in Multi-Use Trail Systems That Double as Emergency Infrastructure

Trail networks designed with wildfire resilience in mind — like the fire-hardened trails being pioneered in California’s Northern Sierra — demonstrate how recreation infrastructure can serve as strategic firebreaks and access routes for emergency responders. By integrating vegetation management with trail building, communities can reduce wildfire risk, support biodiversity, and create essential corridors for eMTBs and other non-car-based evacuation tools. Communities should work with land managers and organizations like the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship to design trail systems that protect lives and landscapes while expanding access to outdoor recreation.

3. Reduce Gridlock With Smart Traffic Solutions like Congestion Pricing

Congestion pricing helps ensure roads are clear and functional when they’re needed most, especially during large-scale emergencies or evacuations. Scott-Croxford highlights how London, Stockholm, and Singapore have used it not just to improve air quality, but also to reduce traffic volume in dense urban cores. Fewer cars on the road means faster emergency response times — and easier exit routes.

4. Eliminate Outdated Parking Minimums to Make Room for Safety Investments

Many communities still cling to old rules that require excessive parking for new developments. Scott-Croxford shows how cities like Austin are reversing this trend. By eliminating mandatory parking minimums, they’re freeing up space (and budget) for trails, sidewalks, and other essential city investments. More flexible land use means cities can build infrastructure that serves people, not just cars. In an emergency, wide, well-connected bike lanes and walking paths are lifesavers.

5. Equip First Responders and Volunteers With eMTBs for Rapid Response and Trail Stewardship

Electric mountain bikes are invaluable in disaster-prone areas, offering speed, agility, and access where trucks and traditional vehicles fall short. First responders and community volunteers can use eMTBs to scout wildfire-prone forests, transport gear through rugged terrain, and reach remote areas for evacuation support or hazard assessment. In non-emergency times, they’re equally useful for trail maintenance, forest monitoring, and land stewardship, especially in expansive or mountainous regions. Communities should consider eMTBs as essential tools in their emergency preparedness and climate resilience plans, offering a low-impact, high-reach mobility option that bridges recreation and response.

In an era of escalating climate disasters, the most agile communities will be those that rethink transportation and land use as tools for survival, not just everyday mobility and recreation. By investing in bikes, connected bike networks, and fire-adapted trail systems, communities can strengthen evacuation routes, support emergency response, and protect people and ecosystems. It's time to recognize bikes and trails as essential parts of a safer, more prepared future.

Juliet is the President of Brompton, Americas, the North and LATAM American arm of the folding bike brand based in the UK. Under her leadership, Brompton has doubled down on its mission to make urban mobility simpler, safer, and more resilient. Juliet's background in media and business gives her a unique ability to bridge lifestyle trends with public policy, and her op-ed is a must-read for city leaders, first responders, and community planners alike.

Greg leads the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship and is a descendant of the Deer Creek Band of Northern Sierra Miwok. Greg has spent his life in the Sierra Nevada Mountains living by the examples of his elders — developing a passion for community, clean streams, big mountains, and long trails. Greg is a trailblazer and pioneer of backcountry mountain biking in Downieville, establishing Yuba Expeditions guide service in 1991 and the Downieville Classic mountain bike festival in 1995. In 2003 Greg founded the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship in order to maintain and enhance the trail system, create local jobs, and grow the recreation economy in the Lost Sierra region. He also serves as a strategic adviser with the U.S. Forest Service, Regions 1, 4, and 5.

Bicycles as a Lifeline: How Communities Can Embrace Bicycling for Disaster Preparedness

As part of our ongoing work to convene the bike industry around its most complex and high-impact challenges, PeopleForBikes hosted the 2025 Electric Mountain Bike (eMTB) Summit in Bentonville, Arkansas. The summit exemplifies our commitment to uniting business leaders, public agencies, and advocates to advance smart policy, foster collaboration, and strengthen the future of bicycling. By focusing on a rapidly evolving and often misunderstood sector of our industry, the summit brought national attention to the importance of inclusive trail access, responsible innovation, and public-private partnership, all pillars of our work to build a stronger bike ecosystem in Northwest Arkansas and beyond.

The eMTB Summit brought together leaders from across the bike industry, federal and state agencies, advocacy groups, and trail stewardship organizations. The summit emphasized a clear message: eMTBs are not a passing trend — they're a transformational tool reshaping how and where people of all ages and abilities can ride. 

As one of the only events focused solely on eMTBs, the summit highlighted their potential to shape the future of trail access and community planning. We collected our top highlights from the event, which featured engaging speakers and experts alongside cutting-edge research and innovations.

The event opened with a compelling welcome from Gary Vernon of Runway Group, who spotlighted Arkansas’ leadership in trail innovation. From integrating eMTBs into state park systems to pioneering sustainable trail design and managing the rise of e-motos on trails, Arkansas is setting a national standard for trail development that expands access and balances community needs.

A highlight of the summit was a presentation from Jonah Chiarenza of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Volpe Center, who shared the latest federal research comparing riding behaviors between eMTB and traditional mountain bike users on trails in Moab, Utah. Chiarenza and his team’s findings are critical for land managers navigating trail use policy, offering science-backed insights into the similarities and differences in impacts to trails between riders and helping shape equitable and informed access rules across public lands.

One of the summit’s most inspiring stories came from Mena, Arkansas. A new downhill mountain bike park — fully open to e-bikes — was brought to life through a rare collaboration between the U.S. Forest Service, Arkansas Office of Outdoor Recreation, Arkansas State Parks, the Arkansas Parks and Recreation Foundation, and the City of Mena. The session underscored the power of public-private partnerships to unlock new recreational opportunities in rural areas.

Greg Williams of Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship offered a visionary take on eMTBs as tools for wildfire resilience planning and how trails can be designed not only for recreation, but also to help mitigate fire risk for fire-prone communities. By designing trail networks that serve both recreational and disaster resilience purposes, communities can create infrastructure that supports public safety while expanding access to outdoor recreation.

In a policy session moderated by PeopleForBikes’ Rachel Fussell, Charles Cooper of the Brumidi Group provided a behind-the-scenes look at the evolving landscape of federal e-bike regulations. From staffing cuts at federal agencies to landmark wins like the EXPLORE Act, the conversation highlighted both opportunities and challenges ahead. 

Cooper emphasized that reduced federal capacity could delay trail projects and permitting, while the sale of public lands and increased prioritization of extractive industries threaten long-term recreation access. He urged unity among stakeholders, greater engagement with land managers and policymakers, and a push for recreation to be recognized as essential infrastructure. With major funding opportunities like the America the Beautiful Act on the horizon and ongoing questions around eMTB classification, Cooper underscored that the time to act is now — and that the riding community must speak up to shape the future of trail access.

As electric mobility rapidly diversifies, one of the summit’s most critical conversations addressed the growing presence of e-motos and out-of-class electric vehicles on trails. Featuring policy leaders including Matt Moore of PeopleForBikes and Scott Schloegel of the Motorcycle Industry Council, the session stressed the need for clear classification systems, user education, and enforcement strategies to ensure safe and fair trail use.

eMTBs are reshaping access, increasing inclusivity, and broadening participation across age and ability levels.

Clear policy and rider education are essential to safely manage eMTB and e-moto growth.

Public-private partnerships — like those seen in Mena — can unlock new opportunities in underserved areas.

Trail systems can do double duty, providing recreation and supporting emergency preparedness and fire resilience.

Federal advocacy matters now more than ever to shape consistent, forward-thinking eMTB access nationwide.

With more riders, new technologies, and a changing policy environment, the momentum behind eMTBs is undeniable. From workforce development in the bike industry to fire-hardened trail prescriptions and federal engagement, PeopleForBikes is proud to support the future of eMTBs. The 2025 eMTB Summit was a catalyst for action, collaboration, and change.

As one U.S. Forest Service attendee summed it up:

“I learned more [during the eMTB Summit] than I have in the last two years about eMTBs. I wish all my staff could attend.” — Dan Olsen, Forest Supervisor, Ozark-St. Francis National Forests

____________________________________________________________________________________

PeopleForBikes thanks all the partners, speakers, and attendees who made this groundbreaking event possible. Together, we’re building a future where more people can ride more places, more often.

2025 eMTB Summit Shapes the Future of Trail Access and Outdoor Recreation

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

If you’ve ever attended a town hall meeting to support a proposed bike lane or trail, or simply engaged in a lively discussion about one on Nextdoor, you know it can often be a pretty frustrating process. These days, when discussing anything that involves growth or change, there’s almost always a small, vocal contingent that relies on emotion to argue why something shouldn’t happen. You might know a new bike lane — or another proposed project, like a housing bill that indirectly affects bicycling — would be a good thing for your community, but without data or research to back up your argument, speaking up can feel like a lost cause. 

That’s where our new guide comes in. At PeopleForBikes, we spend our days firmly entrenched in the research and data that supports building better communities for bicycling. We developed this 15-point fact sheet to help counteract misconceptions that often arise when advocating for change, as well as to promote strategies we know work. Bookmark it, print it out, and email it to everyone you know — let this article support you in shifting the larger conversation around the power of bicycling.

This might feel like a given, but if Utah Senator Mitt Romney’s recent remarks are any indication, we’re not all on the same page about the climate benefits of getting more people on bikes. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), transportation makes up 28% of the total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, with 57% of those emissions coming from passenger vehicles. When we build more (and better) bike lanes, the environmental benefits are clear: higher bike ridership, less driving, and an overall reduction in emissions.

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon found that “if even 10% of short car trips during peak afternoon travel were replaced with micromobility, more than 4,800 car trips would not happen, decreasing vehicle miles traveled by more than 7,300 miles a day.” While this would translate to a 2.76% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, it would only be possible with “wide-scale bike lane deployment.” This study confirms similar findings from McGill University that spotlight bike infrastructure in Montreal, as well as research from the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy, which found new bike lanes lowered emissions in Guangzhou, China, and Bogota, Colombia.

According to another European study, if 10% of the population were to replace one car trip a day with a bike ride, overall carbon emissions from transportation would also drop 10%. Research done by Portland State University showed that if 15% of car trips were instead taken by electric bicycle, we could see a 12% decrease in transportation-related emissions. Add in the fact that bikes are one of the lowest carbon-emitting modes of transportation, and it's safe to say that any way you look at it, bicycling benefits the environment.

Ask most people why they don’t bike and they’ll likely name safety as a key concern. A nationwide survey from the National Institute for Transportation and Communities found that a whopping two-thirds of U.S. residents would be more likely to bike if they were separated from cars by a physical barrier. There is so much research that shows people will bike if cities build good infrastructure. Overall, the average protected bike lane sees bike counts increase 75% in its first year alone.

Notably, bicycling in Sevilla, Spain, increased 435% when the city added 86 miles of dedicated bike lanes. Even smaller transformations to include protected bike infrastructure can have a huge impact. After buffered bike lanes were installed on Philadelphia's Spruce and Pine streets, bike traffic increased 95%, while intersections in Montreal with protected bike lanes saw 61% more bike traffic than comparable intersections with no bike infrastructure. There’s also evidence that protected bike lanes are better for bike share.

In Cambridge, Massachusetts, a 2022 upgrade brought a two-way protected bike lane to a section of Garden Street, where before there had only been sharrows and door-zone bike lanes. The changes transformed the entire neighborhood: Bike mode-share nearly quadrupled and increased by more than 2%. Even accounting for seasonal dips in ridership, bicycling in the area increased more than sixfold since the separated bike lanes were built.

3. Yes, protected bike lanes are better than sharrows or standard bike lanes

As a rule of thumb, if something’s not going to be comfortable for people of all ages and abilities to ride, then don’t build it.

For decades, U.S. traffic engineers assumed that people on bikes could almost always share the road with cars. But a shoulder — even a striped bike lane — on a street with fast traffic isn’t an appealing place to bike for most people, especially women and less experienced riders. Putting a bike symbol in the middle of a busy thoroughfare does little to make it a place where parents feel comfortable riding with their children.

We now know, based on both U.S. and international experience, what kind of infrastructure designs give people of all ages and abilities the sense of safety, comfort, and enjoyment that makes them want to ride. This includes protected bike lanes, which are located next to the road and physically separated from traffic, as well as things like better lighting, traffic-calming barriers, and well-marked crosswalks. While sharrows might have a place in small towns or on low-stress streets, protected bike lanes should be the default for roadways with speeds above 25 mph or when vehicular volumes exceed 6,000 average daily traffic (ADT).

People living in bike-friendly communities tend to have better health outcomes due to increased physical activity, improved cardiovascular health, and reduced stress levels. A 2015 Columbia University study showed that New York City's $10 million investment in bike and pedestrian improvements resulted in an estimated societal health savings benefit of $230 million. Put another way, every $1,300 New York City invested in building bike lanes provided benefits equivalent to one additional year of life at full health over the lifetime of all city residents. 

According to the British Medical Journal, regular bicycling is associated with a 41% decrease in the risk of death from any cause, a 45% decrease in the risk of cancer, and a 46% decrease in the risk of heart disease. And the benefits don’t stop there: a PLOS Medicine study showed that people who began bicycling regularly after age 50 saw a 20% decrease in the risk of Type II Diabetes. 

5. Bikes lanes and trails are good for business

In response to proposed or newly built bike lanes, it seems like store owners often complain about reduced parking and customers lost. All of the evidence, however, points to the fact that installing protected bike routes tends to boost local shops. For example, after a hugely contested bike lane was installed on Skillman Avenue in Queens, New York, data shows that sales in the stores, bars, and restaurants on the seven-block commercial stretch collectively rose by 12%.

Other streets in New York have seen similar results: After the construction of a protected bike lane on 9th Avenue in Manhattan, local businesses saw a 49% increase in retail sales (on other streets in the borough, the average was only 3%) and a redesign of the city’s Union Square to include a protected bike lane resulted in 49% fewer commercial vacancies, compared to 5% more throughout Manhattan. And it’s not just in New York: In Salt Lake City's Broadway, replacing parking with protected bike lanes increased retail sales. 

There’s also evidence that customers who arrive at retail stores by bike spend the same amount per month compared to people who arrive by car — they tend to make smaller purchases but return more frequently. What’s more, neighborhoods that don’t require a car to move around are more economically resilient. Bike trails and greenways also benefit communities economically by attracting visitors, promoting job growth in tourism-related industries, and revitalizing communities through the "Trail Town" model and Trail-Oriented Development.

6. More bike infrastructure can benefit drivers, too

It’s important to remember that even if the infrastructure is perfect, not everyone will choose to bike. Die-hard drivers can still become bike advocates, however, especially when they realize that the more people ride bikes, the less car congestion there is. 

This was a key messaging point in Austin, where the city completed 115 miles of new bike lanes in just two years. By shifting traffic from cars to bikes and making it easier to reach transit stops, Austin's planned 400-mile protected bike lane network is projected to increase the city's traffic capacity by about 25,000 trips per day at about the same cost ratio as a single expressway widening.

In 2014, a New York City Department of Transportation (NYDOT) study found that after a six-foot buffered bike lane was installed on Columbus Avenue, car volumes were unaffected and that those cars moved 35% faster. According to an NYDOT statement, the “study found that on corridors with protected bike lanes traffic flow was maintained or improved on average because of the enhanced organization of the roadway.”

7. Protected bike lanes and reduced speeds save lives

Time and again, we see that when speed limits fall, safety rises. Because the likelihood of fatality increases exponentially with vehicle speed, even small reductions in speed limits can have an outsized effect. The Highway Safety Manual shows that deadly crashes can be decreased by 17% if speeds are reduced by just 1 mph, while a separate study from Sweden's Lund Institute of Technology found that a 10% reduction in average speed led to 34% fewer fatal crashes. (As an added bonus, there's evidence that lower speed limits improve air quality.)

A widely celebrated success story comes from Spain: When the speed limit on single-lane urban roads was lowered to 18.5 mph, road deaths fell by 14%. For cyclists, deaths were cut almost in half. This is good news as cities nationwide lower speed limits across the board, making streets safer for everyone. 

The even better news? Protected bike lanes reduce speeding and make streets safer for people walking, biking, and driving. After protected bike lanes were installed in New York City, injuries for all road users on those streets were reduced by 40-50%. Similarly, protected bike lanes in Montreal led to a 28% decrease in injuries. This 2019 study of twelve cities also found that protected bike lanes decrease fatalities for all road users. 

8. Bikes help reduce the cost of living and make cities more affordable

In 2021, U.S. households spent an average of $10,961 on transportation, making it the second largest household expense after housing. One in four U.S. adults suffers from transportation insecurity, a phenomenon that often has an inequitable impact on low-income families. Increasing access to low-cost modes of transportation like bikes — and safe places to ride them — effectively reduces this often-overlooked household expense and ensures communities remain affordable for everyone. The Housing and Transportation (H+T®) Affordability Index is a great tool to determine the neighborhood-level housing and transportation costs for your community. 

9. Housing policy and bike policy are intertwined

The right kind of housing policy can make our communities more bike-friendly. When we create transit-oriented neighborhoods, remove parking requirements, allow for more infill housing in existing urban areas, and permit the building of accessory dwelling units and multi-family housing, we naturally start to create places where destinations are closer together and people feel more comfortable biking.

The U.S. is in the midst of a severe housing crisis, forcing residents to live increasingly far away from important destinations. Adopting climate-friendly land use policies promotes a mix of land uses in close proximity to one another. When people’s homes are closer to their basic needs — jobs, grocery stores, schools, pharmacies, etc. — they’re more likely to ride a bike for daily trips. For those who drive, trips are considerably shorter.

10. Parking reform is key to building bike-friendly cities

The U.S. has about 2 billion parking spots, which translates to about seven parking spaces for every car. And parking is expensive for new developers to build — it can cost between $40,000 and $60,000 per parking space — increasing housing costs for everyone and taking valuable space away from development.

What’s more, fewer homes have led to a slew of other intersecting issues: a nationwide housing shortage, an increase in home prices, and growing inequity. Lower-income families who drive less and use transit more inevitably end up paying for infrastructure they don’t need while drivers are subsidized for their car use. 

When parking is required, buildings are forced to spread further and further apart, decreasing an area’s walkability and leading to urban sprawl, which swallows more and more land to sustain the same population. This in turn pushes people to drive more, upping greenhouse gas emissions, while the ensuing traffic makes it harder for everyone to get where they need to go. 

Essentially, this plethora of free car storage is at the root of a number of societal woes. A much better investment is a network of protected bike lanes and trails. Less parking means more proximity — since most people only want to bike one or two miles, the more destinations you have in that radius, the better a place becomes for bicycling. That’s only possible, however, if you’re not required to build big parking lots. Thus, parking reform is key to building bike-friendly cities.

While the federal government currently offers a federal tax credit for electric cars of up to $7,500, nothing similar exists for people buying an electric bike. With a lack of federal initiative, more and more states, counties, and cities across the country are taking matters into their own hands, creating e-bike incentive programs that are as varied in substance as they are geographically. While many programs are relatively new, the data is compelling. 

Launched in the spring of 2022, Denver’s incredibly popular e-bike incentive program has led to some notable results, including $1 million in cumulative annual savings for the city. Researchers also calculated that the program avoided considerable amounts of greenhouse gas emissions, with some 71% of survey respondents claiming to use their gas-powered vehicles less often (those surveyed rode their e-bikes an average of 26 miles per week, replacing 3.4 round trip vehicle trips). Importantly, 29% of Denver e-bike redeemers who completed the program survey indicated they were also new to riding.

12. Shared micromobility is a good investment for cities

Bike and scooter share, known collectively as shared micromobility, is a good investment for cities. When shared micromobility is done equitably, it can help alleviate transportation insecurity and lead to better public health, environmental, and economic outcomes. Unfortunately, not nearly enough municipalities treat shared micromobility as an integral part of their transit landscape or fund it accordingly. That’s a huge miss.

A 2021 study found that bike share systems are a boon for public health, saving the U.S. healthcare system more than $36 million a year on average. Another research paper from that same year looked at New York’s Citi Bike and found that the system — the largest in the U.S. — is a net win for the climate. In Britain, a more recent study found that if one-fifth of car trips were taken by shared electric bikes or scooters, the result would be a more than $1.2 billion boost to the economy.

On paper, many bicycle laws — such as those that require people to wear helmets, use bike lights, obtain a bike license or register their bikes — seem like a great idea. After all, helmets can protect our heads in the case of a crash, lights help bikers see and be seen, bike licenses can raise money for infrastructure, and bike registrations safeguard people against theft. At least that’s all true in theory. In reality, these laws are virtually unknown and rarely enforced. When they do get enforced, it’s usually to the detriment of Black, Indigenous, or people of color (BIPOC) or those experiencing homelessness.

A report from Equitable Cities outlines how prevalent these transportation laws are in the U.S. In addition to the obvious trauma that can make even the most essential trip to the grocery store a fraught affair, these policies limit mobility, opportunity, and access for BIPOC. They also have implications beyond mobility, contributing to adverse social, political, economic, environmental, and health outcomes. There’s also evidence that repealing laws doesn’t have negative effects: A 2023 study also found that after a helmet law was abolished in Seattle, helmet use actually increased.

14. Bicycling is really good for our youth

There are obvious reasons why any bike advocate would want to see more kids on bikes, including the fact that youth are our cities’ future riders and the next generation of community leaders. What’s less often talked about are the holistic health benefits bicycling offers our children. Aside from the obvious physical benefits of increased activity, youths who engage in regular physical activity report fewer depression and anxiety symptoms, have higher self-esteem, and also perform better academically than kids who are inactive. Additionally, Outride’s “Riding for Friends, Fun, and Fitness” report highlights how youth who ride regularly report higher levels of mental well-being and spend fewer hours in front of screens. 

Don’t always focus on bikes — in fact, if you can manage it, your messaging should focus on the benefits to everyone rather than just people riding bikes. This may seem antithetical to the goal of getting more people riding but research bears out this messaging strategy. Make a point to talk about how bicycling infrastructure improves the lives of all, whether or not people choose to bike, by increasing opportunity, relieving congestion, and growing the economy through recreation improvements. 

When discussing bicycle infrastructure, dwell less on the cyclists and instead focus on how infrastructure can help make streets safer for everyone, benefit people’s health, and provide crucial transportation access to jobs and essential services. Your messaging around bikes should always focus on bringing people together and turning drivers into supporters. 

As the leaders in the fight for building better communities, the responsibility for messaging falls on us. To win over diverse groups and achieve a bike-forward agenda, we need to shift the conversation.

PeopleForBikes’ latest initiative, The Great Bike Infrastructure Project, is an ambitious program aimed at transforming communities across the United States by championing pro-bike policies and launching thousands of bike infrastructure projects. The goal of the project is to create safer and more accessible biking opportunities for everyone.

This visionary program comprises three vital components:

1. The implementation of thousands of bike projects

3. Significant investments in local communities 

In this four-part blog series, "A Legislative Playbook to Build More Bikeable Communities," we’ll dive into the legislative arm of our new program, exploring policies that promote safe, complete bike networks while also highlighting states and municipalities that are successfully putting these policies into action.

The policy pillars that make up The Great Bike Infrastructure Project’s legislative arm are outlined in the program’s Legislative Guide. Designed to aid policymakers and advocates in expanding local bike infrastructure for transportation and recreation, this comprehensive guide outlines four highly effective legislative solutions to accelerate the construction of safe and connected biking infrastructure. 

The key strategies featured in the guide include:

Funding for Bike Infrastructure: While there is an unprecedented amount of federal funding available for bike infrastructure, state and local funding are essential to propel more projects forward. Local funding also provides 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.


Mandating Complete Streets: The implementation of Complete Streets mandates is a pivotal strategy for advancing bike infrastructure. Complete Streets ensure that all road users — including pedestrians, cyclists, public transit users, and drivers — have safe and accessible ways to reach their destinations. Our guide provides examples of legislation that includes strong and specific requirements for creating Complete Streets, including language that allows for limited exceptions and denotes clear roles and responsibilities to make mandates effective.


Advancing Bike Infrastructure Through Climate Legislation: Our guide underscores how state and local climate legislation can facilitate the construction of bike projects. By including bike infrastructure in climate legislation, communities can help reduce vehicle miles traveled and greenhouse gas emissions, ultimately delivering significant environmental and fiscal benefits. We highlight examples of climate legislation in Minnesota, Washington, Rhode Island, and Hawaii, showcasing the most effective components.


Creating Safer Places to Ride: Ensuring streets are safe for cyclists is paramount to encouraging the adoption of bicycling for both transportation and recreation. Our guide emphasizes several strategies for local communities and states to achieve safer streets, including measures to reduce traffic speeds, ban right turns on red, and adopt modern design standards.

In this blog series, we will provide in-depth insights into each of these legislative strategies and demonstrate where we are already witnessing success stories. Promoting safe and connected places to ride remains our overarching goal to get more people on bikes.

Our work at PeopleForBikes to advance bike riding across the U.S. relies heavily on our local advocacy partners in all 50 states. If you are actively involved in improving bike infrastructure in your community, we would love to hear from you and discuss how PeopleForBikes can support your efforts. Please reach out to us at info@peopleforbikes.org. Together, we can make biking safer and more accessible for all.

A Legislative Playbook to Build More Bikeable Communities

PeopleForBikes’ Legislative Guide for Safe and Connected Bike Infrastructure, a component of our Great Bike Infrastructure Project, is a valuable resource for elected officials and local advocates, showcasing the most effective ways to advance bike infrastructure through state and local legislation. To help build more bikeable communities across the U.S., we’ve already explored the how and why behind funding bike infrastructure and mandating Complete Streets policies. In the latest edition of our blog series, we’re reviewing the third legislative strategy to create great places to ride — advancing bike infrastructure through climate legislation. 

The construction of bike infrastructure can play a powerful role in states’ climate policy agendas. With more state-level support behind the construction of bike infrastructure, more people will replace car trips with bike rides, reducing transportation-related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the process. 

In the U.S., transportation is the highest emitter of GHGs at 29%, with most of those emissions (57%) coming from passenger cars and light-duty trucks (pickups and SUVs). More bike infrastructure can not only drastically reduce dependence on using vehicles for transportation by making bicycling a safe and attractive choice for people, but it also carries a host of economic, equity, health, and safety-related benefits that support thriving communities. 


Why should states include bike infrastructure in their plans to address climate change?


Bike infrastructure reduces greenhouse gas emissions by reducing vehicle miles traveled. Fifty-three percent of car trips made in the U.S. are three miles or less, and 28% are one mile or less. Transitioning close-to-home trips from cars to bicycles is possible and can significantly reduce the number of miles driven in personal vehicles.

Electrifying vehicles is essential, but it’s not enough. Reports from California, Hawaii, and Minnesota show that states must reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT) to meet GHG reduction goals. Even with the most optimistic assumptions about electric vehicle adoption, GHG emissions from cars remain too high without reductions in use. 

Active transportation infrastructure expands equitable access to low-cost, sustainable forms of transportation. Studies show that it is six times more expensive to travel by car than by bicycle.


How are states prioritizing bike infrastructure within their climate agendas?


There is a growing policy movement among states (including California, Colorado, and Minnesota) that not only sets GHG reduction targets but also makes requirements to evaluate large-scale transportation projects based on their potential GHG emissions. If a project does not fit within the states’ GHG reduction goals, they either have to modify the project, cancel it, or integrate low-polluting projects such as infrastructure for bikes or transit. 


This policy framework is already successfully shifting money away from high-polluting transportation projects and saving states’ money in the long run. 

Thanks to Colorado’s GHG rule, the state has already shifted $1.5 billion from road expansions to multimodal projects, with $900 million dedicated to expanding bike, walk, and transit networks. 


In 2024, three states (Illinois, New York, and Maryland) proposed similar legislation, and this trend is not expected to slow down. This useful policy tool allows states to meet their GHG reduction goals and helps them re-envision their transportation systems to ones that are safe, equitable, and convenient for all road users. 


What should states consider when prioritizing bike infrastructure within climate legislation?

Include specific VMT reduction targets. Communities cannot meet GHG reduction targets solely through electric vehicles without also reducing the miles those vehicles travel. 

Prioritize expenditures — like bike infrastructure — that provide co-benefits. Replacing short, gas-powered car trips with electric car trips may reduce GHG emissions, but it won’t provide the health, economic, safety, and happiness benefits that replacing those trips with bicycles will. 

Prioritize investments in traditionally disinvested and marginalized communities to help redress past inequities. 

Establish strict requirements for accurate reporting to measure and track the impact of various strategies relative to goals. 

Include transparent accountability measures that allow the public to ensure compliance.

Include electric bicycle (e-bike) incentive programs. Several U.S. states and cities have passed e-bike incentive programs to lower transportation-related GHG emissions. To learn more about e-bike incentive programs, check out our E-Bike Incentive Toolkit.

If you are a bicycle advocate, policymaker, or a community leader, PeopleForBikes wants to help make it easy to champion the inclusion of bike infrastructure in your state’s climate plan. To learn more about the best talking points and access resources and policy examples to advance bike infrastructure through climate legislation, check out our resources below:


Watch our webinar recording on this topic

Review our Legislative Guide for Safe and Connected Bike Infrastructure 

Read our Supplemental Guide for Advancing Bike Infrastructure through Climate Legislation which includes data-backed talking points to help you advocate for change in your community 

Advancing Bike Infrastructure Through Climate Legislation

This past September, as I biked the streets of Lyon, France, I was struck by the signs and signals catering to cyclists. From the small, dedicated bike traffic lights alternating between red and green to a sign indicating that bikes could turn right on a red or even go straight at an intersection, the roads were easy to navigate, even for a foreigner. This dedication to the bicycle has paid off: Yet another sign broadcasts the fact that more than 28 million bike trips have been made so far this year.

My time in Lyon was reminiscent of similar experiences I’ve had in well-known cycling cities such as Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Utrecht, and Antwerp. The city, situated close to the Swiss border and home to just over half a million people, ranks high in PeopleForBikes’ City Ratings with a score of 81 for 2023. A high score (anything from 80-100) indicates that most common destinations are accessible by safe, comfortable bike routes that serve people of all ages and abilities. 

It’s one thing to see a network map and read about what makes a city great for bicycling, and quite another to experience it firsthand. 

In Lyon, there’s an abundance of protected bike lanes — separated both from cars and pedestrians — that can accommodate two-way traffic. Greater Métropole de Lyon, which is comprised of 59 municipalities, currently has 1,200 km (745 miles) of cycling facilities, of which 450 km (279 miles) are separated from traffic. Included in that mix is the impressive 1.75 km (1 mile) Crois Rousse multi-modal tunnel built in 2009, which includes a dedicated lane for buses, a sidewalk for pedestrians, and a 3-meter wide bi-directional bike lane, with barriers separating all three.


All of this from humble beginnings, considering that for most of the 20th century, Lyon was a car-centric city. In the 1970s, the first of the city’s bike infrastructure went in, advancing at no more than a trickle until the early aughts, when progress began to noticeably ramp up. By 2005, Lyon launched its bike share system, Velo’v, and began building more bike infrastructure for people to safely use it. Lyon also curbed driving by instituting low-emissions zones, which restrict vehicles according to the city’s air pollution levels, since 2016.

Today, Lyon’s bike lane network continues to grow, thanks in large part to an ambitious $290 million program known as Les Voies Lyonnaises (“The Lyon Routes”), which on completion will consist of 12 bike roads spanning 250 km (155 miles). The overarching goal of this network is to connect Lyon’s downtown core with its satellite, suburban communities to the north, south, east, and west, making it safer and more convenient for both commuters and leisure travelers from outlying areas to get into the city safely by bike. 

As shared by Arthur Bajula, the cycle and pedestrian planning officer for Métropole de Lyon, the city currently has roughly six miles of the new Lyon Routes network built. “We plan to have a third of the project — 90 km or 55 miles — completed or under construction by the summer of 2024,” says Bajula, noting that the network also plays a role in the city’s ongoing efforts to reduce air pollution. “The idea is to strengthen alternative mobility options such as cycling… and to promote cleaner vehicles within low emission zones.”

These numbers point to something of a hockey stick model, with a slow beginning which then ramps up. This echoes the trajectory of the Green Party, which came to power in Lyon in 2020 and has dedicated much of its early years to laying the groundwork for substantial climate work. This includes goals such as reducing C02 emissions by 40%, creating thousands of new ‘green jobs,’ and securing Lyon’s place among the world’s top bike cities. 

Unsurprisingly, part of the delay can also be attributed to a handful of car-centric mayors from other Métropole de Lyon municipalities who have sought to slow down the city’s two-wheel transition.

“There’s a lot of political opposition by certain mayors who are not green,” says Pamela Vennin, project manager with Lyon’s International Relations Department, explaining that the mentality is that citizens need cars to maintain their lifestyles and rights to privacy. “They don't want the cars to have problems.”

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