We’re making biking better in Ohio through funding local bike projects, supporting pro-bike policies and legislation at the local and state levels and highlighting great hometown routes on Ride Spot. In April 2020, we helped pass a measure to maintain and improve many popular bike trails managed by Summit County, including the Bike & Hike Trail, Freedom Trail and portions of the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail. In May 2019 we helped pass Issue 8 in Columbus, funding $100 million towards improving parks and recreation for activities such as biking. 

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

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

From bustling cities to small towns, communities from coast to coast amplified their commitment to better biking with an unprecedented surge in safer, more comfortable places to ride in 2023. And, with thousands of additional projects planned across the country and more federal funding for bikes available than ever, we can reasonably expect the pace of construction to increase more dramatically in the coming years. 

Even for the most ardent naysayers, it’s difficult to deny that the landscape of bicycling in America is transforming (although not as quickly as many of us would like to see). While we have yet to see any U.S. cities emerge with truly bold citywide plans for bike networks as we’ve seen in places like London, Paris, and Bogota, many are (slowly) beginning to envision a future where cycling takes center stage. Although there remains a substantial amount of work ahead of us to cultivate a safe and comfortable environment for people of all ages and abilities to ride bikes in the U.S., it's well worth pausing to commemorate the significant infrastructure victories U.S. cities achieved in 2023.

Photo credit: New York City Department of Transportation

After car-free streets took the top spot on last year’s list, we’re delighted to witness locales like New York City continuing to adopt more of these low-stress environments for cyclists. Launched in March, NYC’s much-anticipated vision for Broadway is beginning to transform the iconic street with pedestrian plazas, inviting outdoor dining structures, planters, and bike improvements, with the stretch between West 25th and 32nd streets being reshaped in 2023. While the full vision includes a “people-centric” Broadway connecting Union Square to Columbus Circle, the city’s next phase is on the horizon, with planned improvements underway between West 33rd and 21st Street.

2. 156th Street Cycle Track | Redmond, Washington

Featuring a two-way cycle track, Redmond’s 156th Street Cycle Track improves access to the Redmond Technology Station — part of Sound Transit’s East Link Extension — and the NE 40th Street Shared Use Path. This area of Redmond, the longstanding home of the Microsoft Corporate Campus, remains a focal point for the tech giant's ongoing commitment to community development. While the Microsoft-funded section is complete, the City of Redmond is working to expand it further from 140th to Turing.

In September, Salt Lake City celebrated the completion of its most significant public works project to date, the 300 West Reconstruction Project, which features a separated, two-way, 10-foot-wide bike lane, upgraded sidewalks, and more than 200 new trees to provide shade and serve as a buffer to the roadway. New "bioswales" were also integrated to improve water quality by filtering debris from stormwater runoff. The project, funded through the "Funding Our Future" bond, showcases Salt Lake City's commitment to prioritizing biking as a sustainable and accessible mode of transportation while fostering greener and safer corridors for all road users. Special project features include raised sidewalks and bikeways at all non-signalized intersections, bike counters, wayfinding signage, and green-tinted concrete.

4. Inman Square | Cambridge, Massachusetts

After two and a half years of construction, the Inman Square project in Cambridge reached its much-anticipated completion in 2023, featuring sidewalk-level bike lanes, protected intersections, shorter crosswalks, and a vibrant new plaza. Serving as a pivotal crossroads for various modes of transportation, these enhancements further Cambridge's dedication to Vision Zero and demonstrate the power of their Cycling Safety Ordinance, which propelled Cambridge to a score of 58 in PeopleForBikes’ annual City Ratings program. As evidence of its high quality, the project made headlines earlier this year after a social media video seemingly showcasing bike infrastructure in the Netherlands went viral, only to be revealed as a playful deception filmed in Cambridge's Inman Square.

5. Bryant Avenue South | Minneapolis, Minnesota

Minneapolis’s Bryant Avenue South reconstruction project, stretching from Lake St. to 50th St. W., reshaped a residential street in the heart of south Minneapolis. Despite its quiet residential character, Bryant Avenue is a key bicycling corridor parallel to the congested Lyndale Avenue. Previously converted into a "bicycle boulevard" in 2010, the reconstruction — which created a bidirectional sidewalk-level protected bikeway, intersection improvements, pedestrian-scale lighting, and stormwater infrastructure — reflects a forward-looking commitment to safer and more sustainable transportation that’s helped Minneapolis become the best large U.S. city this year’s City Ratings.

In September, Pasadena celebrated the completion of its first two-way protected bike lane along Union Street. The new 1.5-mile protected bike lane enhances connectivity to Pasadena's popular destinations, including Old Pasadena, Playhouse Village, Pasadena City College, Caltech, and the Metro Gold Line Station at Memorial Park. Approved by the City Council in 2016, the project repurposed existing road space to accommodate the protected bike lane, converting the previous one-way westbound street into a cyclist-friendly corridor. This initiative supports Pasadena's commitment to sustainable transportation and efficient urban planning. The project was funded through a combination of local and federal sources, including the American Rescue Plan Act, California’s Active Transportation Program, Gas Tax, Los Angeles County’s Measure R, CMAQ, and Pasadena’s Traffic Reduction Fee.

Inspired by successful implementations in cities like Toronto, Boulder introduced new "tall curbs" along Baseline Road in 2023 to physically separate bike and vehicle lanes, offering increased protection for people biking. The project is a critical element of Boulder's Core Arterial Network (CAN), which includes plans for strategic improvements along some of the city's least safe corridors for people walking and biking. With local artist Talia Swartz Parsell adding vibrant paintings to the barriers, the initiative combines safety and public art that complements the surrounding mountainous landscape. Further enhancements are slated for 2024, including additional bike lane barriers. 

8. Pinellas Bayway South | Tierra Verda, Florida

The Pinellas Bayway South Cycle Track in Tierra Verde is a significant addition to the more extensive Pinellas Trail network that spans more than 50 miles. Originating in 1983, the Pinellas Trail has steadily expanded since, becoming a regional destination with more than 1.5 million annual users. The new cycle track, separated from traffic by a raised concrete island, rectifies safety issues caused by vehicles parking in the prior non-protected bike lanes and helps reduce speeding along the corridor. Managed by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) as part of a resurfacing project, the new cycle track closes a two-mile gap between the Pinellas Trail, connecting trail users to Fort De Soto County Park. “FDOT was able to use their existing standard detail for median islands to separate the cycle track from the travel lanes,” said Kyle Simpson, an active transportation planner with Forward Pinellas. “[That] reduced the cost of the project and did not require moving any drainage.”

9. East Main Street | Rochester, New York

Photo credit: Erdman, Anthony and Associates, Inc.

Rochester’s East Main Street Reconstruction project features sidewalk-level bicycle lanes designed in accordance with the City's Complete Streets policy. While addressing needs such as roadway repaving, water main replacement, and new sidewalks, the project also introduced decorative lighting, street trees, and new signage. As part of Rochester's "spine network," a vital element outlined in the city’s Active Transportation Master Plan, the East Main Street project reinforces the city's dedication to creating a well-connected and accessible bike network.

Through a $6 million Midtown Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone project, San Antonio transformed Avenue B into a one-way, southbound street to accommodate protected bike lanes, wider sidewalks, on-street parking, and landscaping. Serving as a vital connection between the River Walk, Downtown, and various amenities, Avenue B contributes to San Antonio's expanding network of bike lanes and links to trails along the San Antonio River. Ultimately, the city hopes to extend the bike lane north of I-35 to reach the Witte Museum and Brackenridge Park. 

In a commitment to enhance road safety, the City of Dayton completed a $12 million reconstruction project along Salem Avenue between the Great Miami River and Cornell Drive. The federally funded initiative transformed a six-lane “stroad” into a lower-speed street with widened sidewalks, a bi-directional protected cycle track, decorative lighting, and pedestrian islands. The Salem Avenue project connects to more than 350 miles of regional trails as part of the Miami Valley Trails network. In September, Dayton approved an Active Transportation Plan to expand the network further, with more than 20 projects slated for construction by 2027. 

12. 12th Avenue South | Nashville, Tennessee

Photo credit: Nashville Department of Transportation

The 12th Avenue project in Nashville — envisioned as part of the 2017 WalknBike master planning process and subsequently identified as a top bikeway priority by the community — transformed a vital stretch of Nashville into the city’s first complete and green street. The 1.5-mile project includes physically protected bike lanes, bioswales for stormwater management, bus boarding islands, and safer pedestrian crossings. 

“The corridor had existing, substandard bikeways — with significant demand for better, safer facilities to connect affordable housing and student housing with Nashville’s downtown and other commercial districts,” said Anna Dearman, NDOT’s walking and biking manager. In response, NDOT moved the project swiftly from conceptualization to reality, with accelerated final design and construction phases to improve connectivity for affordable and student housing residents along the corridor to downtown and other commercial districts.

13. Turner Avenue | Grand Rapids, Michigan

With funding from a combination of the city’s Vital Streets program (a voter-approved income tax for road and sidewalk projects) and federal Surface Transportation Program and Carbon Reduction Program sources, Turner Avenue represents a major bike infrastructure upgrade for Grand Rapids. This transformative project, which replaced a striped one-way bike lane with a new, separated, two-way facility, spans 1.2 miles from 4th Street to Richmond. The project also increased greenspace to mitigate stormwater runoff and filter pollutants entering the Grand River. The city plans to begin design work to extend the bikeway from 4th Street to Fulton Street West in 2024.

14. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive | Atlanta, Georgia

Photo credit: Central Atlanta Progress/The Atlanta Downtown Improvement District

The Martin Luther King Jr. Drive Cycle Track in Downtown Atlanta was a collaboration between the City of Atlanta Department of Transportation and the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District, furthering the Downtown Atlanta Master Plan by enhancing safety and accessibility in the city center. According to Stacy Grolimund, senior project manager with Central Atlanta Progress and the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District, the project began in late 2022 when the Atlanta City Council voted to resurface streets near City Hall and the State Capitol. Councilmember Jason Dozier advocated for the inclusion of multimodal safety enhancements to align the project with the City’s Vision Zero goals. For now, the protected two-way cycle track stretches from Forsyth Street to Capitol Avenue, but the project is part of a more extensive planned network that will ultimately provide direct access to State Farm Arena, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Georgia World Congress Center, and westside neighborhoods like Vine City. 

Physically separated bike lanes in the suburbs? Yes, please! In Agawam, Massachusetts, Dutch-style bike infrastructure emerged as one of the standout bike lanes of 2023. Sparked by the Morgan-Sullivan Bridge replacement and MassDOT’s Complete Streets directive, the project resulted in separated bike paths along Main Street, Springfield Street, Suffield Street, and Memorial Avenue. The area, dotted with strip malls, now offers improved accessibility to local businesses and schools, marking a significant step toward sustainable transportation for this suburban area. Since completion, it's proven highly successful, with increased student biking and plans for further extensions to expand the network. Michelle Chase, Agawam’s town engineer, emphasized, “MassDOT’s Complete Streets program has been absolutely critical for the success of this project,” noting that it “inspired everyone involved in the design to push for the best accommodations even when challenges were encountered.”

16. 17th Street | Santa Monica, California

Santa Monica further solidified its reputation as a great city for bicycling with the completion of curb-protected bike lanes along 17th Street. Stretching just over a mile from Wilshire Boulevard to Pico Boulevard, this project features Southern California's first curb-protected intersections, offering significant safety improvements for cyclists. The 17th Street bikeway conveniently connects key locations such as the 17th Street Metro E Line Station, Santa Monica College, and the Michigan Avenue Greenway, creating a more accessible and interconnected bike network.

Earlier in 2023, Santa Monica's innovative use of a concrete extrusion machine for bike lane construction garnered significant attention, with the efficient, precise technology creating multiple blocks of protected bikeways in a single day. In a Streetsblog article from June, the city's principal engineer, Selim Eren, highlighted the sustainability, cost-effectiveness, and speed of the method, emphasizing the significant transformation from traditional bike lanes to the new protected design on Ocean Avenue, resulting in a substantial increase in cyclist volume. 

17. Meadowbrook Road | Jackson, Mississippi

Jackson’s new Meadowbrook Road project, unveiled in May 2023, has been championed by the Mississippi Department of Health for its role in improving public health and well-being. From Old Canton Road to West Street/Northbrook Drive, the $3.3 million project features a new road-adjacent shared-use path for people walking, rolling, and biking. Funded through a federal FAST Act grant and Jackson’s One-Percent Municipal Sales Tax, the project also included roadway resurfacing, ADA modifications, and traffic signal upgrades. Meadowbrook Road is one of several projects the city has underway to connect its downtown to the Fondren District and Jackson State University. “In our community, our residents value both cycling and walking along with accommodating wheelchair users. With a smaller right-of-way in the heart of the city and the need to use our limited space efficiently, the shared-use path has become our go-to choice in the city,” said Robert Lee, Jackon’s city engineer.

Stretching approximately 1.25 miles, the recently constructed Belmont Avenue protected bike lanes create a low-stress, east-west route across Chicago’s Kennedy Expressway and over the Chicago River while connecting several north-south protected lanes, neighborhood greenways, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) Belmont Station, and the 312 Riverrun Bike Trail. The project also improved safety for pedestrians and transit riders through curb bump-outs, concrete refuge islands, and bus priority treatments. 

The project marks just one of the dozens recently completed by Chicago — contributing to more than 55 miles of bikeway projects completed in the last year alone along streets like Augusta, Central Park Avenue in Garfield Park, Clinton, Dearborn, Grand, Kedzie, and Milwaukee. Together, these projects are signs of definite improvement for Chicago, which scored only 7 out of 100 points in our 2023 City Ratings. We’ll be watching closely to see how the city’s score improves in the coming years with its new commitment to protected bike lanes. 

Whether it’s to reduce their carbon footprint, for exercise, to save money or just for fun, more and more college students across the United States are choosing to get around by bike. As a result, many colleges and universities are putting in extensive time and resources to make biking more accessible and safe on campuses nationwide.

In this year’s City Ratings, PeopleForBikes’ annual program to evaluate, identify, and compare the best cities and towns for bicycling, many college towns ranked in the top 50 out of more than 1,000 U.S. cities for bicycling. Read on to learn what these places are doing to become great places to bike.

Coming in at number two overall in this year’s City Ratings with a score of 72 (out of a possible 100) is Davis, California. A hip college town 11 miles west of Sacramento, Davis is home to the University of California at Davis, a large public university with 31,000 students spread across its 5,300-acre campus. Known for being one of the best places for bicycling in the United States, it’s hard to ignore the city’s incessant love for biking when riding around Davis. Davis has a myriad of different bike share options, including e-bikes and long-term rentals, so it’s never difficult to find a way to get around town by bike.

Davis was an early pioneer in bicycle mobility, constructing their first bike lanes in 1967, which have since expanded to include 50 miles of on-street bike lanes and 50 miles of off-street shared paths. Close to 98% of the streets in Davis have some sort of bicycling provision and the city is also home to the Bicycling Hall of Fame, built in 1987. Cycling through the college campus, you’ll see both staff and students alike commuting on their bikes. An estimated 47% of staff use bikes to get to work every day and about 20% of all trips in Davis include a bike.

As a town, Davis has fostered a shared sense of mutual respect between motorists and pedestrians and created a strong sense of biking culture. Davis’ compact city size, flat topography, access to bike rental services and relatively mild climate make it an ideal place to get around on two wheels!

Home of Penn State University, State College, Pennsylvania, ranked 35th overall with a City Ratings score of 53. A majority of Penn State’s 40,000 students use cycling as their main form of transportation due to its massive sprawling campus, but up until 2008, cycling was not very accessible.

In 2008, Penn State's Transportation Services proposed a “Bicycle Master Plan,” which not only added multiple bike lanes throughout campus but also included bike climbing lanes for steep uphill sections, showering and changing facilities, more bike racks, covered bike parking, more effective snow clearing for bike-heavy areas and a bicycle education program for all incoming freshman. Many of these facilities are located no more than a five-minute walk from any destination on campus and 21 bike share rental stations across campus provide more than 15,000 rides each year to students, faculty, and staff.

State College is especially unique from other cycling college towns because of its active efforts to create a culture of biking for everyday travel and recreational use by building a community around it. The “Bike Den” on Penn State’s campus is a community-building space where cyclists can work on bike maintenance projects, attend bike workshops and connect with other local cyclists. State College’s hilly topography, harsh winters, and large campus do not make being a bike-friendly college town easy, but the campus transportation services are continuously working harder to make cycling safer and more convenient for everyone.

Oregon is known as the most bicycle-friendly state on the West Coast, and Corvallis, home to Oregon State University, is certainly no exception. Corvallis’ abundance of nature, compact size, mild summer temperatures, and network of bike lanes make it a dream to bike around! In fact, 97% of the city's streets are connected by bike lanes and shared-use paths, which means almost any trip can be made in 15 minutes or less by bicycle.

Corvallis has been promoting active recreation and transportation for decades. In 1971, the Citizens Advisory Commission on Bicycles was formed to create an advocacy group for bike infrastructure, safety, and culture. Oregon State University followed in Corvallis' steps, encouraging bicycling as an easy, healthy transportation option using a program called “ZAP,” which rewards students and faculty for biking around campus. In 2019 alone, ZAP logged 54,337 trips!

OSU also provides amenities including bike parking, repair stands, bike share and bike loan options, bicycle safety training, and bicycle registration services. Oregon State’s efforts for biking are paying off: In 2019, about 20% of students got to campus by bike, higher than other comparable universities by a whopping 10-15%! Corvallis is the perfect home base for anyone looking to explore the views of the Sunset State by bike.

Madison, Wisconsin, or “Mad Town” as it is lovingly referred to, ranked 24th overall in this year’s City Ratings with a score of 57. Known as the Bike Capital of the Midwest, biking is not only acceptable but accessible in the Wisconsin capital. The city’s 295 miles of paths, routes, and streets were specifically designed to be accessible by bikers for a safe and convenient ride. These paths are well-utilized, with more than 2.9 million users being logged across Madison’s state-of-the-art counting stations annually.

Madison is also home to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, one of eight universities in America named at the Platinum level by the League of American Bicyclists. UW Madison is home to a strong network of bicycle routes and is continuously adding more to make every destination on campus accessible by bike. Boasting many amenities including bicycle share programs, 40+ e-bike stations, bicycle parking, repair stations, and after-ride amenities, the city’s biking success was almost inevitable. 25% of students and 18% of staff will bike to campus in good weather, with about 10% of students and 4% of staff still biking to campus in poor weather. Madison’s efforts have not gone unnoticed, and the city has cultivated a strong, year-round culture of biking for active everyday travel and transportation.

Nestled deep in the Appalachian foothills of gorgeous Southeastern Ohio is Athens, a lively college town that ranks number 36 on this year’s list. Athens County is home to nearly 1,000 miles of paved and gravel roads open for cycling use, with world-class mountain biking trails just a short drive away. Residents of Athens take full advantage of these trails — 4% ride their bikes to work and even more ride their bikes recreationally. The state of Ohio recently published its Walk.Bike.Ohio policy plan and the city of Athens also established a Bike and Pedestrian Safety Plan intending to expand its current bicycle network by adding new bikeways, more bicycle parking, and other facilities as well as growing education and safety initiatives throughout the state and city.

Ohio University, located in Athens, has 21 miles of bike paths on campus for its 28,000 students, and much of the university's bikeways underwent major repairs in 2014 and 2015 to uphold OU’s responsibility to provide safe transportation to their campus community. Their unwavering commitment to active transportation can be seen in the extensive network of bicycle parking, events, and resources for students and staff biking or walking to class.

Boulder, Colorado, is the perfect combination of urban living and the wild outdoors. Resting right where the mighty Rocky Mountains meet the rolling plains in Colorado’s Front Range, there is an abundance of food, breweries and live music to enjoy in the University of Colorado college town. The minute you set foot in Boulder, you’ll be greeted by helmet-clad enthusiasts riding leisurely, perfect-for-kids bike paths like the Boulder Creek Path, adventure-seeking mountain bikers enjoying stunning views on the Canyon Loop in Betasso Preserve, and working professionals getting in a workout on two wheels during their lunch break.

Biking is core to Boulder culture, with an average of four bikes for every household and a myriad of different bike share services available across town. More than 300 miles of bikeways weave throughout Boulder, making it easy to get to the dentist, a Psychology 101 class, and a gorgeous state park all in the same day. Cyclists take advantage of every good-weather day, and with about 300 days of sun per year, the city is always bustling with bikes. 10.5% of residents bike to work in Boulder, significantly higher than the U.S. average of 0.6%.

The best day of the year on campus is CU Bike Fest Day — a day full of bike community, culture, and fun for CU Boulder students. The festivities and culture of biking in Boulder make it an obvious choice for any cycling fanatic.

Ames, Iowa, has the quintessential college town experience, with an equal amount of big- and small-city feel in the town of 64,000. During the Iowa State University football season, the city is full of energy and excitement, and even when the students go home, the community finds other ways to stay active. In the 1970s and ‘80s, Ames was home to the Raleigh/Levi cycling team which produced big-name riders like Andy Hampsten and Connie Carpenter. Recently, a trail network of about 600 miles was built around central Iowa, with 52 of those miles directly in Ames! Any talk about cycling in Iowa must also include the Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, better known as RAGBRAI, which is an average 468-mile-long ride that has stopped in Ames four times during its tenure.

Biking is a great way to get around in Ames — in fact, about 15% of residents get to work by walking or biking! Iowa State University students are also big bikers — sitting on 1,800 acres and home to nearly 27,000 students, you can almost always find someone zipping around campus on a bike. ISU is looking to expand its infrastructure by connecting high-use trails like the High Trestle Trail to campus and bringing a bike share service on campus for students. Ames and ISU already have some fantastic bike infrastructure, and it certainly looks like the improvements won’t be slowing down anytime soon.

The Better Bike Share Partnership (BBSP) awarded $75,040 in grants to 10 projects that will reach and engage traditionally underserved populations through shared micromobility. This is the seventh round of mini-grant funding the national bicycle advocacy organization PeopleForBikes will administer through its partner role with BBSP.

"Better Bike Share mini-grants allow us to support short-term, impactful projects that directly improve access to shared micromobility for lower-income and/or BIPOC communities," said Tangier Barnes-Wright, senior partnership and program manager at PeopleForBikes and BBSP. "We are inspired by the 2022 grantees and look forward to learning from their projects and sharing lessons broadly across the nation."

The following projects were selected by a grants panel to receive funding: 

Increasing Low-Income and Latinx Ridership on Portland’s BIKETOWN | $9,400
Community Cycling Center, Portland, OR

The Community Cycling Center will partner with Andando en Bicicletas y Caminando (ABC) to increase BIKETOWN bike share access through signups and education in low-income communities of color. Over the course of three sessions, 10 neighborhood leaders will be trained on the process of signing up for reduced-fare membership, positioning them as a trusted resource for other community members.

The Go Hub Community Mobility Rituals | $9,000
Equiticity, Chicago, IL

In partnership with Divvy, Superpedestrian and local community-based organizations, Equiticity will host a monthly bike ride and scooter roll. Each ride will have a different theme, socializing participants around the act of mobility and increasing a sense of safety, ownership and autonomy. Depending on the ride, Divvy bikes or Superpedestrian scooters will be provided and participants will learn about each system and its corresponding low-income membership program. 

Golden Rollers: Introduction to BCycle and Micromobility for Older Adults | $5,640
Ghisallo Cycling Initiative, San Antonio, TX

The Golden Rollers program will provide annual bike share memberships, training, guided rides and safety equipment at no cost to 24 seniors and older adults with the aim of increasing ridership. The program will be based out of a senior center adjacent to a BCycle bike share station. This mini-grant will allow interested participants to gain familiarity with the BCycle system and access their fleet of two-wheeled, electric-assist bicycles.

Art, Bikes and Books for All! | $9,500
Arts and Business Council of Greater Nashville, Nashville, TN

The Arts and Business Council of Greater Nashville, the Nashville Public Library and the Music City Dope Pedalers, a majority-BIPOC bike club, will partner to grow the existing Bikes and Books for All program, which makes checking out a BCycle bike as easy as borrowing a book. Funding will help the program expand to more library branches, create bike routes and host a community bike ride with art bikes designed by local artists. 

Blue Bikes Community Liaisons Program | $6,000
Blue Krewe, New Orleans, LA

Blue Bikes will recruit liaisons from the three neighborhoods within its system that rate highest according to the New Orleans’ Bike Equity Index, which helps identify underserved, priority areas. The liaisons will participate in monthly training and be compensated for leading one community outreach activity of their choosing each month from June to November. They will also represent Blue Bikes at neighborhood events, sharing information about the system and gathering feedback on how to improve bike share.

Wheels to Work | $7,000
Houston Bike Share, Houston, TX

Modeled on Indego bike share’s Wheels to Work program in Philadelphia, this mini-grant will support employment and increase health and mobility through bike share. Houston Bike Share will work directly with New Hope Housing’s Harrisburg location to combine services such as resume writing and soft skills classes alongside bike share system training and bike safety. Participants will receive a free BCycle membership and participate in group rides designed to be inclusive.

Building Mobility Justice in Pittsburgh | $9,000
Bike Share Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA

This mini-grant will fund aspects of the POGOH bike share system’s equity initiatives, including cash payment administration, support for its $10/year low-income Mobility Justice Pass and its 2022 Community Day event execution. The Community Day will bring families and the neighborhood together around outdoor activities, food, music and a helmet giveaway, raising awareness about POGOH and the Mobility Justice Pass. 

Equity Memberships | $8,500
Tulsa Bike Share/This Machine, Tulsa, OK

This Machine will partner with local nonprofits, including the Tulsa Housing Authority and two prison alternative programs for female drug offenders, to provide a form of reliable transportation to access essential services. The pilot program will offer reduced-priced memberships to folks working with its partner organizations and anyone with a SNAP or SoonerCare card. The goal is to collect comprehensive data before applying for funding to make the equity membership program permanent.

West Dayton Community Outreach | $6,000
Bike Miami Valley, Dayton, OH

The Dayton Bike Share system is expanding by adding hubs in the city’s priority areas of West and Northwest Dayton. These geographies were historically redlined and are still today majority Black communities. This mini-grant will fund work on the front end of that expansion, gathering input from residents, providing marketing materials and helmets for the demo days and stipends for door-to-door outreach in the community.

Beautification of Downtown BCycle Station | $5,000
Des Moines Street Collective/Des Moines BCycle, Des Moines, IA

In partnership with ArtForce Iowa, the Des Moines Street Collective hopes to bring refugee, first-generation youth to bike share through the beautification of a downtown BCycle station. Marginalized youth will have a hand in the entire creative process, from the initial brainstorm to the final product. Every youth artist will participate in two group rides, receiving bike-riding lessons, an annual BCycle membership and a helmet and bike lock.

The Better Bike Share Partnership is funded by The JPB Foundation as a collaboration between the City of Philadelphia, the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) and the PeopleForBikes Foundation to build equitable and replicable bike share systems. Learn more at BetterBikeShare.org.

Better Bike Share Partnership Awards $75,000 in Grants

PeopleForBikes’ latest round of Industry Community Grants funded $55,000 for seven different bike projects across the U.S.

Every year, PeopleForBikes’ Industry Community Grant program provides funding for important projects that make bicycling better in communities across the U.S., including new bike paths, lanes and trails; bike parks and pump tracks; bike racks and repair stations and large-scale advocacy initiatives.

Since 1999, we have awarded more than 400 grants to nonprofit organizations and local governments in all 50 states, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico. Our investments total more than $3.5 million and have leveraged $775 million in public and private funding for bike-related projects nationwide. 

This program is funded by our partners in the bicycle industry. We thank Batch Bicycles, Cannondale, Giant Bicycles, Niner, Shimano, Tern, Trail Trust, Trek and Vaast Bikes for their continued participation and support. 

For fall 2021, we awarded $55,000 to seven different bike projects, making bicycling better for everyone from El Paso, Texas to Seattle, Washington. We would like to extend a special thank you to Tern, who went above and beyond to fund an additional project. 

“It means a lot to our team to be able to support PeopleForBikes and the great work they do advocating for all things bicycling,” said Josh Hon, team captain at Tern Bicycles. “It's also our goal to help make the bike industry a more diverse and equitable place so we're happy that PeopleForBikes is funding projects for kids in underserved communities. We're really excited to see a great organization like Kids On Bikes receiving an Industry Community Grant, and we look forward to the completion of the pump track project in 2022.”

Fall 2021 Industry Community Grants — $62,500

Cresta Pump Track, Kids On Bikes, Colorado Springs, CO: $10,000, supported by a generous grant from Tern

Laramie Middle School Bike Path, Laramie Bicycling Network Inc., Laramie, WY: $10,000

Ungap the Map, Seattle Neighborhood Greenways, Seattle, WA: $10,000

Desert Downs Bike Park, Desert Downs BMX, El Paso, TX: $7,500

Wirth Park Pump Track and Skills Park, Loppet Foundation, Minneapolis, MN: $7,500

Beverly Multi-Use Trail, Village of Beverly, OH, Beverly, OH: $5,000

Rich City Rides Hub Improvement Project, Rich City Rides, Richmond, CA: $5,000

Want to learn more about our Industry Community Grant program? Click here.

Announcing Our Fall 2021 Industry Community Grant Awards

The 12 projects utilize everything from community art to electric bikes and span the country from New York to Hawaii.

The Better Bike Share Partnership (BBSP) awarded $89,970 in mini-grants to 12 projects that will reach and engage traditionally underserved populations through shared micromobility. This is the sixth round of grant funding that PeopleForBikes will administer through its partner role with BBSP. 

“Better Bike Share mini-grants allow us to support and share lessons from small, innovative projects," said Zoe Kircos, director of grants and partnerships at PeopleForBikes and manager of BBSP. "We look forward to learning from these grantees and seeing how their strategies help more people access bike share systems.”

The following projects were selected to receive funding: 

Reddy E-Bike Library Ambassadors | $10,000
Shared Mobility Inc./Reddy Bikeshare, Buffalo and Niagara Falls, NY

Reddy Bikeshare, in partnership with Independent Health, will join with East Side Bike Club and the Create a Healthier Niagara Falls Collaborative to use this funding to hire, train and support four community ambassadors to help underserved residents access electric bicycles through a new bike library program.

Bike-N-Ride: Linking Bike Sharing With Transit Through Art Tours That Highlight Community Narratives | $10,000
City of Fort Lauderdale – Transportation and Mobility, Fort Lauderdale, FL

The City of Fort Lauderdale will partner with local community-based organizations to host three bike tours featuring storytelling and art. The rides will coincide with and end at a local monthly art walk event.

Savvy Cycling | $10,000
Midwest Bikeshare, Inc./Bublr Bikeshare, Milwaukee, WI

As Bublr expands into historically marginalized neighborhoods with 26 new stations, system ambassadors from those communities will offer urban bike skills classes, free helmets and a complimentary 30-day pass to local residents.

North Tulsa Expansion/African American Community Outreach | $10,000
Tulsa Bike Share/This Machine, Tulsa, OK

Five new This Machine stations will be installed in North Tulsa, a historically Black neighborhood. The expansion will be matched with promotions, events and other activities offered in partnership with community-based organizations located in the area.

People for Mobility Justice ElectroBicis in Pacoima  | $10,000
Community Partners, Los Angeles, CA

People for Mobility Justice will work with Pacoima Beautiful to make 100 electric bikes available for long-term rental to residents as part of a pilot in the Northeast San Fernando Valley. PeopleForBikes’ grant will fund classes on safe bicycling and bike maintenance, along with safety equipment such as helmets and lights.

Justice on Wheels 2021 | $8,600
Family Matters, Chicago, IL

Practice rides and events, geared towards helping residents build endurance and community, will culminate in a 15-mile intergenerational ride through the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago. Speakers at stops on the route will explore themes of transformative justice and transportation equity, with a celebration at the end. 

Biki Ambassador Project | $7,770
Bikeshare Hawaii, Honolulu, HI

Biki will focus on outreach to Native Hawaiians and other underserved communities with the launch of a new Ambassador program. In partnership with a local organization, the bike share system will recruit, hire and train 10 people from the community to promote bike share and provide feedback.

The Way We Move: Making Biking Accessible for All in Raleigh | $6,500
Oaks and Spokes, Raleigh, NC

Reaching and engaging older adults in underserved communities is the focus of the events and activities in this new program. AARP and senior living facilities will serve as partners and an intern will be hired from a local HBCU.

Roll to Recovery | $6,000
OneFifteen, Dayton, OH

Through a partnership with Bike Miami Valley, OneFifteen, an addiction recovery campus, will support the mental and physical health of patients and staff by helping them ride. In addition to placing a bike share station on the facility’s campus, the nonprofit will offer helmets and annual passes to those who complete a free cycling safety class.

Allen County Micromobility Education Program | $5,000
Thrive Allen County, Allen County, KS

With this funding, Allen County’s free bike share system will hire a local ambassador to offer free bike repair workshops to residents countywide, addressing a common barrier to increased bicycling.

Segundo Barrio Mural Bikes | $4,300
Camino Real Regional Mobility Authority, El Paso, TX

Local artists will paint seven bike share bikes inspired by the murals located in the historically significant Segundo Barrio, introducing more people to the artwork and bike share. Once completed, the painted bikes will be part of a bike share demo and gallery event in the featured neighborhood.

Share Boxes for Bike Share Racks | $1,800
Green Apple Bikes, Inc., Manhattan, KS

This completely free, volunteer-driven bike share system will add share boxes to stations in select locations, offering donated items including bicycling safety gear with funding from this grant.

Better Bike Share Partnership Awards $89,970 in Grants

We’re proud to announce our Living Lab winners, all of which will create replicable programs for improving shared micromobility in low-income communities.

In 2014, the Better Bike Share Partnership (BBSP) formed with a mission: identify barriers to bike share and develop strategies to address them. By partnering with Philadelphia and its Indego bike share system—using the city as a “Living Lab,” or a testing ground for innovative solutions—the BBSP was able to identify replicable best practices that would make any micromobility system more equitable. This year, the partnership is expanding its Living Lab work to include four more cities alongside Philadelphia, each with a specific target area and goal for making bike share better.

The BBSP invited proposals from partnerships of cities, bike share operators and community-based organizations looking to pilot, expand, replicate or scale strategies and tactics related to a specific issue and historically-marginalized population. Projects could not include the funding of new bike share stations or related equipment, on-street infrastructure projects, general operating costs or anything related to a micromobility system that didn’t yet exist. Only applications from U.S.-based, nonprofit organizations or city agencies were considered. In the end, the BBSP received 16 applications from cities large and small across the country. 

“Being a Living Lab means taking a deep dive into addressing the obstacles that affect access to and use of shared micromobility systems,” said Tangier Barnes Wright, partnership and program manager at the PeopleForBikes Foundation, a founding partner of the BBSP. “At the end of two and a half years, the Living Labs communities will share unique and replicable approaches to achieving equity in shared micromobility that can be utilized nationwide.”

Over the course of two and a half years, the BBSP has committed to disseminating $200,000 in funding to each Living Lab, which will cover costs associated with proposals as well as technical support, scholarships and travel stipends for relevant conferences. Grantees will also have the opportunity to convene monthly and share learnings as a cohort. Follow along on the BBSP blog in order to track the work of each Living Lab, including deep dives into individual proposals, progress made and any challenges that arise.

“These five organizations crafted creative and thoughtful proposals to look deeply at how and why people use shared micromobility — or don’t,” said Zoe Kircos, director of grants and partnerships at PeopleForBikes. “We look forward to sharing the progress, challenges and lessons learned from these Living Labs in the years ahead.”

The following projects received Living Labs funding:

The Northwest Side Housing Center will work with partners to amplify the voice of youth in Chicago’s micromobility planning and implementation efforts. Teens from the Belmont Cragin neighborhood will help design and roll out a community education campaign that will focus on bikes as a way to connect the neighborhood to other transit options. Additionally, members of the Belmont Cragin Youth Leadership Council will learn bike mechanic and handling skills, which they will use to help educate their community about bike share and the many benefits of bicycling.

Building the Bike-to-Bus Connection
Detroit, MI

MoGo, a Detroit-based nonprofit organization, and its partners will work together to identify and address the technical, behavioral and structural barriers associated with bus and bike share trips in order to create better-connected transportation options in Metro Detroit. Feedback and data collected from local residents will inform strategies that MoGo will pilot and test over the course of the grant.

The City of Philadelphia, along with partners at Bicycle Transit Systems and the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, will continue to refine and expand its ambassador programs and deep community engagement work, with a particular focus on the new neighborhoods that will be served by Indego's (Philadelphia’s bike share program) extensive expansion. Additional program offerings, such as the Indego Champions and Changing Gears programs, will also be scaled up based on pilot projects completed in 2020. 

The Portland Bureau of Transportation and its partner, the Multnomah County REACH (Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health) Program, will help local community health workers provide Biketown (Portland’s bike share program) access, education and support for clients who receive county health assistance, all with the overall goal of improving health outcomes.

Red Bike (Cincinnati’s bike share system) will supercharge its highly successful Red Bike Go program, implementing and assessing a variety of new strategies to increase community involvement as it expands into two new neighborhoods. Its approach will include creative partnerships with schools and community-based organizations, youth ambassadors and youth-focused programming with the integration of art throughout.

Meet 5 Grantees Out to Transform Bike Share

In September 2020, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) announced this year’s awards for the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development grants (BUILD, formerly TIGER). Of the $1 billion in grants awarded, nearly $300 million focus on or support bicycle infrastructure and active transportation. Ranging from recreational trails to river walks, large interchanges and shoulder expansions, BUILD grants provide the necessary dollars to complete important transportation projects that would otherwise lack sufficient funding from other sources. 

This year, 21 of the 70 total projects include bicycle infrastructure, a significant increase compared to previous years of BUILD grants. Applicants (generally cities, counties and transportation authorities) recognize that adding and improving bike infrastructure not only makes their applications more competitive, but represents their communities’ needs to serve the growing number of people riding bikes for both transportation and recreation.

Jefferson Avenue and 20th Street Revitalization Corridors — St. Louis, MO

SR 96 Improvement Project: Providing the Critical Link Between I-16 and I-75 — Twiggs County, GA

More Americans than ever are relying on bikes as a means for efficient, socially distanced transportation and close-to-home recreation. Trail counters across the U.S. report a 75% increase in ridership compared to 2019, and governments at the local, state and federal levels face increased pressure to support the growing trends in active transportation by advancing infrastructure projects, enhancing safety and expanding mobility options. 

Nearly $300 Million in Federal Infrastructure Grants Include Bikes

Why are college towns good for biking? 

Working together, a city and a university can create a more complete network for everyone to take advantage of.

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People for Bikes City Ratings: College Towns

As we take a look at our City Ratings top-25, there are clearly some lessons that we can learn from college towns about supporting infrastructure. Here are some traits that allow for college towns to be great places for biking:

Parking: many colleges don’t allow students to have or park cars on campus. This automatically leaves students with the issue of getting around without a car. Bikes often become the mode of choice.

Money: even if students are allowed to have a car on campus, many are operating on a budget that makes a bike more attractive than a car that requires gas, insurance, and upkeep. Also, many colleges collect parking fees on campus and direct those funds to transit.

Support: college campuses tend to be filled with people — professors and students — representing a diversity of experiences in cities, domestic and abroad. This improves the chances of those people supporting bike infrastructure where they live and teach/learn.

Connectivity: students and faculty need and want access from campus to downtown areas, which increases the likelihood of a connected network. With more people riding around campus and throughout town, there’s a better chance that local businesses have advocated for safe routes for improved access.


Let’s take a look at some of our highest rated college towns from the 2019 City Ratings.

University of Oregon, Eugene: Overall City Rating — 3.4

PeaceHealth Rides — Eugene’s Bikeshare program — originated on campus with the University of Oregon’s bike program and funding from the student government. The city then received funding for a city-wide bikeshare system, and the final implementation was through a partnership between the city, the local transit agency, and the university.

According to Kelsey Moore, the University of Oregon Bike Program Coordinator and member of Eugene’s Active Transportation Committee, each year they include students on the committee, and hand out out safety messaging from the city and state departments of transportation. These relationships help everyone involved feel like they’re part of something united, working to make a better place to live.

 University of Wisconsin, Madison: Overall City Rating — 3.2

Renee Callaway, Pedestrian Bicycle Administrator for the City of Madison Traffic Engineering, says that the city partners with the University of Wisconsin in several ways. Because the university doesn’t offer parking to students, there’s a “captive audience of people who need to get around without cars,” she says. Although the lack of parking is due mostly to space constraints, this has created a bike culture throughout campus and town. And because there are so many people on bikes, there’s an overall safety-in-numbers feel.

According to Callaway, the university and the city work together to create a safer place to live, namely at intersections that were identified as dangerous in a crash study. Callaway says, “The university and downtown are interwoven. We have several off-street paths, and we’ve worked really hard with the university to improve street crossings.” Madison’s efforts to improve intersection safety comes mainly from a dedicated budget for annual bike and pedestrian improvements. Callaway says that having funds available for small projects makes a huge difference in keeping the city up to date. Such projects include green treatments on the streets, rectangular rapid-flash beacons, and signage at crossings, which all contribute to people feeling safer.

Ohio University, Athens: Overall City Rating — 3.0

Sam Crowl, Associate Director of the Office of Sustainability, says that with a student body that makes up 75% of the town’s population during the semester, the relationship between Ohio University and Athens is crucial. “Collaboration has to happen for the health of the university and the city — we’re proud of the strong relationship between administrators and city officials.” Athens mayor, Steve Patterson, is a former OU professor and continues to take an active role on campus.

Crowl says a 21-mile bikeway that now connects the whole city, the county and even other towns, started on the campus of Ohio University. This offers students, those who work at the university, and the entire community a safe and protected option for recreational riding. The Office of Sustainability at OU also offers bicycle valet service for home football games. The stadium is right off the bikeway, so it’s a great way to encourage the community to ride to the games.

At the end of every school year, OU holds a “re-bike” salvaged bike sale, which allows people from the community to purchase an affordable bicycle that’s been abandoned on campus. Crowl is hopeful that the university can continue to encourage more people to use bikes as transportation. Now that Ohio allows e-bikes on paths, that could be the next big thing to hit OU’s campus.

North Carolina Central University, Durham: Overall City Rating — 2.7

Working together, a city and a university can create a more complete network for everyone to take advantage of. The city of Durham works with several schools to increase ridership in the area. Dale McKeel, City of Durham MPO, says relationships between the universities and the city can lead to projects getting approved and finished in a more timely manner.

Durham is currently working to connect the North Carolina Central University campus to a recreational and commuting trail in the area. McKeel says, “NCCU staff have enthusiastically supported a proposed bicycle boulevard to connect the campus to the American Tobacco Trail.” NCCU has also partnered with the city and the NC Department of Transportation on a recently completed 4-lane to 3-lane roadway reconfiguration on Fayetteville Street on the south side of the campus.

Recommendations for joining efforts with a college campus:

Plan events — such as a slow-roll ride with refreshments — that are open to the campus and the community. Try one on campus and one in a central location.

Get your bikeshare involved with a campus payment plan.

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