We’re making biking better in Rhode Island 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 spring 2019, our Community Grant Program helped fund the creation of a new pump track at the Big Blue Bike Barn in Newport, providing youth and families in this dense part of the city with a fun, safe place to ride connected to local trails.

Every year, PeopleForBikes advocates on behalf of the bike industry and bike riders across the country to support the construction of fun, safe, and connected places to ride that welcome more people to the joys of bicycling. 


From championing e-mobility lithium-ion battery safety, to mandating Complete Streets for improved road safety, to advancing the construction of bike infrastructure through climate legislation, PeopleForBikes successfully advocated for a multitude of policies at the state and local levels during the 2024 legislative session that will support bike businesses and riders of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds nationwide.

The safety of e-mobility lithium-ion batteries was a top priority for many states and communities across the U.S. this legislative session.

Following the guidance of PeopleForBikes and other industry experts, New York passed legislation to ensure the quality and safety of e-mobility products while maintaining accessibility to equitable transportation options. The legislation requires that e-bike and other e-mobility lithium-ion batteries be tested to standards that ensure the safety of the products the batteries power. It also enables the enforcement of products that do not meet these standards and contribute to unsafe conditions, including battery fires. 


Read more about this important legislation.

In June, the Chicago City Council committed to working with the bicycle industry and other stakeholders to amend a proposed battery safety ordinance to align with similar safety legislation in New York so individuals, retailers, and manufacturers can rely on consistent e-bike battery testing requirements across the country.

PeopleForBikes looks forward to continuing our work with states and municipalities across the country to promote uniform and effective battery testing regulations that ensure that e-bike batteries sold and used in the U.S. meet the highest safety standards.


PeopleForBikes recognizes the three-class system as the framework to categorize and regulate low-speed electric bicycles (e-bikes). Currently, 43 states officially recognize our model legislation. In 2024, Oregon and Rhode Island signed the three-class system into law. This system promotes a uniform definition of e-bikes across the country to mitigate confusion for riders, retailers, manufacturers, and regulators. 

PeopleForBikes will continue supporting the classification of electric bicycles as bicycles (not motorized vehicles) and will work with legislators to showcase the need for clear definitions and strong enforcement so that bicycles, and bicycling infrastructure, are protected. 


Out-of-Class Electric Vehicle Legislation 

Due to the constantly evolving range of electrically powered devices entering the marketplace and the growth of their use nationwide, PeopleForBikes led efforts to define products that exceed the speed and power limitations of the three-class system and federal law as out-of-class electric vehicles (OCEVs). 


Utah and Minnesota passed landmark OCEV legislation to promote safety and protect hard-won access for bicycles on state trails and paths. You can read more both here and here about why this legislation is so critical. 


PeopleForBikes will continue helping states and municipalities better define and enforce the difference between electric bicycles and overpowered, higher-speed, out-of-class electric vehicles (including electric dirt bikes) to protect the rights of bike riders across the country.

Cities and states nationwide continue to prioritize sustainable, equitable, and accessible forms of transportation through e-bike purchase incentives and rebate programs. This year, the Atlanta City Council approved a $1 million incentive for the purchase of e-bikes and the Bentonville City Council in Arkansas approved $2.25 million in grant funding for an e-bike rebate program.


With $20 million in funding approved in 2023, Portland City Council approved an implementation plan for the city’s e-bike incentive program set to launch in 2025. Michigan legislators also approved $2.95 million in funding for an e-bike purchase incentive program in their state budget to implement a statewide e-bike transportation incentive program. 

The 2024 legislative session included many recreation policy wins that PeopleForBikes helped secure to continue building momentum for eMTB access on natural surface trails. 

In Oregon and Colorado, PeopleForBikes supported the passage of recreational immunity bills that protect landowners from liability resulting from the use of their lands by other individuals for recreational purposes, including mountain biking.

The Tahoe National Forest prepared a Decision Notice/Finding of No Significant Impact (DN/FONSI) and final Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Pines to Mines Trail Project. The project, totaling 72 miles of new, natural surface trails, will provide expanded recreation opportunities on National Forest System lands. It also authorizes the use of Class 1 electric mountain bikes (eMTBs) on all new and existing trails where traditional mountain bikes are already allowed within the project area.

A National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Environmental Assessment is also underway in the Tahoe National Forest, utilizing a forest-wide approach. This first-of-its-kind approach could yield historic results that allow entire forest districts to allow Class 1 eMTBs on natural surface trails, as opposed to laws differing by individual trail systems. 


Look out for more recreation and eMTB policy wins as we continue engagement with state and local land managers to open access for Class 1 eMTBs on multi-use singletrack trails in Arizona, Colorado, Michigan, Oregon, and Utah. Additionally, PeopleForBikes is working on recreational trail access for mountain biking within the implementation of the Bureau of Land Management’s Public Lands Rule. 


A lack of safe places to ride is one of the most significant barriers preventing Americans from biking. Dedicated funding streams for the construction of bike infrastructure creates more safe and connected places to bike, which in turn increases bicycling participation. The construction of bike infrastructure also contributes to other co-benefits, including positive public health outcomes, economic vitality, reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and transportation equity.  


As of July, PeopleForBikes has helped secure nearly $1.5 billion for the construction of bike infrastructure that increases safe places to ride bikes through our 2024 VoteForBikes campaign. With a potential $2 billion more on the November general election ballot, 2024 is shaping up to be a big year for bike infrastructure funding. Stay tuned for our post-election VoteForBikes recap to see how much funding PeopleForBikes helped secure for local communities across the country! 


In addition to our work advocating for bikes at the ballot box, PeopleForBikes supported additional legislation to fund bike infrastructure, including Minnesota’s Environmental and Natural Resources Trust Fund that invests more than $11 million in the expansion and enhancement of recreational trails, active transportation infrastructure, and mountain bike access across the state. 


Passing dedicated funding streams for bikes and bike infrastructure at the state and local levels is the most important policy priority for PeopleForBikes. We will continue paving the way for the construction of infrastructure that allows more people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds across the country to safely and efficiently travel around their communities and access more opportunities to ride a bike.


PeopleForBikes continues to advocate for legislation that reduces serious injuries, saves lives, and allows people to travel safely throughout their community with confidence. Reducing speed limits and actual vehicle speeds is one of the most effective ways to improve road safety and save lives.

After four years of hard work, PeopleForBikes was honored to support local advocates in New York as Governor Kathy Hochul signed Sammy’s Law into law in May. The new law allows New York City to implement a 20 mile per hour speed limit with additional 10 and 15 mile per hour zones. This legislation will dramatically increase safety for people walking and biking on roads with a high volume of motor vehicles. 


Michigan and Virginia also passed legislation that makes it easier for local municipalities to lower speed limits that are appropriate for the context and needs of those communities. 

We know that in addition to lower speed limits, safer road designs reduce motor vehicle speeds, one of the most significant causes of serious injuries and deaths on roads. As a result, Complete Streets mandates — which require the construction of bike infrastructure when roads are reconstructed or repaved — are one of the most effective policies communities can implement for improved road safety. Complete Streets also close gaps in transportation networks and enable all road users, regardless of their mode of transportation, to easily access places that they need to go. PeopleForBikes will continue to fight for legislation that mandates Complete Streets to promote safe and thriving communities. 

In March, voters in Los Angeles, California, one of the nation’s most car-centric cities, approved Measure HLA. This requires the implementation of the city’s Mobility Plan, including bike and pedestrian infrastructure when road construction or repaving occurs. PeopleForBikes endorsed this measure to increase transportation opportunities and accessibility, improve road safety, promote health, and reduce transportation-related GHG emissions. 


As part of historic legislation, Minnesota also strengthened the state’s Complete Streets policy by adding PeopleForBikes-supported amendments that require the integration of Complete Streets design principles and offer implementation guidance.

Advancing Bike Infrastructure Through Climate Legislation 

There is significant momentum across the country to fund active transportation infrastructure through climate legislation in order to reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and GHG emissions. Maryland Governor Wes Moore signed an executive order establishing annual GHG and VMT reduction targets for his state’s transportation sector, requiring the Maryland Department of Transportation to implement a process for evaluating and reducing GHG emissions attributable to transportation projects, and investing in projects that reduce VMT and enhance transportation choices. 

Looking ahead to the 2025 legislative session, PeopleForBikes is actively involved in several local coalitions supporting climate legislation to curb transportation-related GHG emissions. Stay tuned for more bike infrastructure and climate legislation wins next year! 

There is already huge momentum for bikes and 2024 is not finished yet! At all levels of government and at the ballot box, PeopleForBikes is championing policies that create safer and more connected places to ride alongside supporting legislation that maintains safe, reliable, and quality products to get more people on bikes more often. 


You can help us achieve even more! By making a donation to PeopleForBikes, we can make an even greater impact in communities like yours all across the country. You can also sign up to receive our advocacy alerts to learn how you can support similar policy wins where you live.

PeopleForBikes’ 2024 Policy Wins Advance Bicycling Safety and Access Nationwide

On December 12, the PeopleForBikes Coalition Board of Directors approved our 2023 Industry Community Grants recipients, totaling $100,000 in funding across 13 grants. The grants will help fund projects that support our focus on building infrastructure that makes communities great places to ride a bike. The projects include several pump tracks, efforts to build safe routes to schools, demonstration projects to promote the importance of protected bike lanes, innovative solutions to combat bike theft in college towns, and mountain bike parks in flat urban areas.

2023 PeopleForBikes Industry Community Grants

Delmont, PA | Trail construction and intersection improvements for a connection to the Westmoreland Heritage Rail Trail. Our funds leverage an additional $18,000 to build a new and vital bikeway for residents and visitors in Delmont.

Sandersville, GA | Funding to construct the first 3 miles of a 250-mile trail system in Georgia, leveraging $6 million in other funding.

Los Angeles, CA | One in a series of “CicLAminis,” a neighborhood-focused open streets event celebrating new neighborhood bike infrastructure. This grant will highlight the specific trail extensions and protected bikeways that improve bicycling locally. 

Ann Arbor, MI | Demonstration project to install and evaluate permeable surfaces on a segment of the Treeline-Allen Creek Urban Trail to create a safe and accessible bike path through a floodplain.

Durango, CO | Demonstration projects of fully protected bike lanes on key portions of a proposed citywide network of low-stress bikeways.   

Saint Johns, AZ | A collaboration with the Legacy Teen Center to build a new pump track that will help launch the Legacy Bike Club. 

Jersey City, NJ | Demonstration project to install and evaluate protected bike lanes in Jersey City to leverage $670,590 in state funding for permanent construction.

Clear Creek Off-Road Bike Association — $7,650

Pearland, TX | Initial construction costs for an innovative mountain bike trail system in an urban park, using shipping containers to create hills in an otherwise flat, low-income neighborhood.  

Providence, RI | Community rides and organizing to win community support for protected bike lanes in low-income communities and leverage $28 million in federal grants.

Tempe, AZ | A "bike bus" to highlight the need for infrastructure that’s safe for children to enjoy on a bicycle and support its construction.

Eugene, OR | An innovative solution to prevent bike theft with a strategy to expand the use of public funding and provide an example for other college towns where bike theft prevents people from relying on a bike for transportation.

St. Louis, MO | Support for the construction of a quick-build protected bike lane on Compton Avenue, a key connection to existing bike boulevard projects in the citywide network.

Kearns, UT | An upgrade to the Lodestar XC Bike Park to enhance the trails and add skills features including adaptive features. Open to the public, the park provides the only training opportunities for students from six high school mountain bike teams.  

PeopleForBikes' Industry Community Grants Program provides funding for projects that make bicycling better in communities across the U.S. Since 1999, PeopleForBikes has awarded more than 400 grants to nonprofit organizations and local governments in all 50 states, the District of Columbia 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.

PeopleForBikes' 2023 Industry Community Grants Recipients

With more protected bike lanes and low-stress bike networks being built across the country than ever before, we had a tough time picking this past year’s best new bike lanes. While numerous projects deserve recognition, we rounded up the top nine projects worth emulating. 

9. Marin Boulevard Bikeway
Hoboken and Jersey City, New Jersey



In November, Jersey City and Hoboken completed construction on the Marin Boulevard and Henderson Street bikeway, which was first called for in the “Let's Ride JC Bike Master Plan” as a way to better connect the two cities. The expansion of CitiBike into Hoboken also increased demand to ride between the two cities, says Mike Lydon of Street Plans, who worked on the project’s design. In 2022, CitiBike’s most popular route was between Hoboken Terminal and Jersey City’s Hoboken Avenue and Monmouth Street, which saw a total of 5,500 bike share trips. With the completion of the Marin Boulevard project, those rides can now be made entirely on protected bike lanes.

The bikeway is separated from traffic with plastic curbing and flexible posts, and it includes a textured painted surface that makes the bikeway more visible and improves traction. As a “quick build” project, the cities chose to move forward with somewhat temporary materials to expedite the project and improve safety, something that wouldn’t have been feasible with more permanent materials that require sidewalk reconstruction and drainage work, not to mention a longer timeline. According to Lyndsey Scofield, senior transportation planner of Jersey City, this approach “provides us with more flexibility to iterate on the design over time as we learn what works well and what could be improved.”

After being declared one of Rhode Island’s most dangerous streets, Providence worked with the local community to reimagine Broad Street with protected bike lanes, bus islands, and crosswalk improvements. While balancing the needs of local businesses, bus riders, and people walking and biking, Broad Street now serves as a key component of the city’s Urban Trail Network, improving safety and accessibility for some of the city’s poorest and most diverse neighborhoods to jobs and opportunities citywide, as well as access to three major urban parks and multiple regional trails. Space for the bikeway was created by removing a wide center turn lane, which also helped reduce speeding along the street. 

7. Green Lake Outer Loop
Seattle, Washington

By converting a state highway lane into a two-way protected bike lane, Seattle created a new connection between Green Lake — one of the city’s most popular parks — and neighborhoods to the west. It also improved safety along the notoriously dangerous Aurora Avenue. As part of the project, precast concrete jersey barriers, which were repurposed from a nearby bridge repair project, were used to provide ample protection from adjacent motor vehicles. They also helped accelerate the construction of the project due to their immediate availability. 

According to Brock Howell, a member of the local advocacy group Aurora Reimagined Coalition, one of the primary goals of the project was to provide families the ability to ride around the park’s entire outer loop. The group hopes these improvements are a first phase in what will eventually become a completely redesigned Aurora Avenue, which stretches more than 10 miles from the Seattle-Shoreline border to downtown. “We have more work to do to improve safety along the rest of Aurora Ave North,” says Seattle Department of Transportation Director Greg Spotts, “But we expect this project to lead to safer speeds near Green Lake.” 

6. Hub City Hopper Trail
Spartanburg, South Carolina

As part of the larger 50-mile Daniel Morgan Trail System, the Hub City Hopper Trail — an extension of the Mary Black Rail Trail — demonstrates the benefits of connecting trails to town centers and urban areas. The project makes streets safer for people walking and biking while expanding access to recreational riding opportunities. It’s a trend we hope to see more of in urban and rural areas alike. 

The trail extension is already attracting new development to Spartanburg: A 132-unit housing project, the Fitzgerald, was planned by developers, in part, to take advantage of the city’s investment in the trail extension. In a recent WSPA feature on the project, John Montgomery, chair of the Daniel Morgan Committee, noted that they expect “to continue to see development pop up around the trail, [including] more residential, more apartments, because people see the value in trails and connecting them and promoting health and wellness. It’s a real community builder.” 

In 2021, Spartanburg County received a $23.8 million U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) RAISE grant — one of largest grants awarded by USDOT that year — to install more than 14 miles of multi-use trails and a new bicycle and pedestrian bridge as part of the Daniel Morgan Trail System.

Although it was technically completed in late 2021, we couldn’t resist putting Bloomington’s new 7-Line protected bike lane on our list for 2022. With a population of just under 80,000 people, the 7-Line proves that protected bike lanes aren’t just for big cities like New York or Los Angeles. The project connects downtown Bloomington with Indiana University’s campus and aims to increase bike ridership by providing a safe, comfortable place for people to ride.

In 2015, after Bike Portland called on the city to address a lack of safe space for people walking and biking along Naito Parkway and Waterfront Park, the city responded with improvements that provide plentiful safe space for people walking, biking, and rolling along the parkway. According to Gwen Shaw of Toole Design Group, the adjacent Waterfront Park “became busy with festivals and visitors during the summer months, making the existing conditions of no sidewalk and a standard bike lane a challenge.” Now, with a sidewalk, bi-directional protected bikeway, and pedestrian refuge islands, Naito Parkway offers a complete street that meets the needs of this busy area.

3. Bigelow Boulevard
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

The Bigelow Boulevard project, which was initiated and managed by the University of Pittsburgh, serves as an example of how institutions can invest in surrounding communities — to the benefit of both. According to Paul Supowitz, special assistant for strategic initiatives at the University of Pittsburgh, the project was driven by conflicts between various road users, congestion, and the need for better connectivity to the city’s bike network. 

Photo Credit: Matt Johnson, Montgomery County Department of Transportation

2. Capital Crescent Surface Trail
Bethesda, Maryland

When it was completed in November 2022, the Capital Crescent Surface Trail became the third project in Montgomery County to include a protected intersection. As part of a larger network, the project links downtown Bethesda to the nearby Capital Crescent Trail, an 11-mile paved and gravel trail that connects Bethesda with Georgetown and Silver Spring. According to Matt Johnson, capital project manager with the Montgomery County Department of Transportation, the two-phase project is part of a larger planning effort for the nearby Purple Line light rail project.

In April 2022, New York City announced plans to make the 34th Avenue Open Street permanent. (Photo Credit: John Surico)

One great way to make communities safer and more welcoming for people riding bicycles doesn’t even involve constructing new bike paths or bike lanes — simply remove cars from streets.

Although car-free streets have been a staple of people-centered spaces for decades, 2022 saw new examples come to fruition in communities across the country. San Francisco’s JFK Drive (which became permanent after voters rejected a ballot initiative to re-introduce cars), Beach Drive in Washington D.C.’s Rock Creek Park, and new car-free developments such as Culdesac in Tempe and Neighborhood Next in San Diego are all examples that advocates and elected officials should seek to emulate in their own communities. 

While many of these projects, including New York’s 34th Avenue, were spurred by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, cities are now moving to make them permanent, a trend unlikely to go away any time soon. Although some car-free streets were phased out of existence by many U.S. cities in the latter half of the 20th century, nearly all of those removals and declines can be attributed to other failed policies such as urban renewal, redlining, and auto-centric zoning. With these new wildly popular projects being integrated into low-stress bike networks, we think it's safe to say that car-free streets are making a comeback.

In 2018, PeopleForBikes set out to accelerate the construction of mobility networks in five U.S. cities — Austin, Texas; New Orleans, Louisiana; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Denver, Colorado and Providence, Rhode Island. The project, dubbed the Final Mile, in partnership with Wend Collective, was successful in achieving that goal. It also created a playbook for any city looking to quickly build quality, connected bike infrastructure.

The Final Mile utilized a dynamic, accelerated approach to combine existing political will and untapped community support for bicycling by providing the necessary resources for cities to rapidly accelerate the pace of bike network implementation.

Austin completed 115 miles of new bike lanes to achieve a 50% build-out of its All Ages and Abilities Mobility Network in only 24 months.

Denver constructed 100 miles of new bikeways, tripling the pace at which its planned network of interconnected, low-stress bikeways was being built. 

New Orleans managed to construct 27 miles of new bikeways and offered the highest concentration of new protected bike lanes in the program.

Providence constructed 43 miles of new bikeways, with an additional 22 miles planned for construction in 2022. 

Pittsburgh completed 50 new network miles and is dedicated to completing another 15 miles in 2022.

The Final Mile program offers a unique model of investment designed to shape local policy through political action. In the five funded cities, the program helped inform growing interest and support for bicycling, aided local leaders in shaping their goals and contributed to national momentum in favor of improved bicycling infrastructure. 

Below are our top lessons learned from the Final Mile.

Cities are capable of achieving tremendous goals when they have the means and will to do so. The Final Mile program asked these cities to find the will (through community-driven advocacy) so local leaders supported by PeopleForBikes could provide the means (funding and expertise).

With a bold vision and sufficient resources, cities are able to establish more ambitious goals and achieve them. 

Balance must be struck between elected officials, city staff, advocacy groups, community leaders and residents to achieve success. 

Every stakeholder group has a role to play in creating the initiatives. The Final Mile framework helped streamline processes to move the campaigns forward quickly.  

Every project faces unique hurdles, including city administration structure, the way resources are allocated and how communities are engaged in the decision making process. 

The Final Mile funded parallel strategies in all five cities, but approaches will vary to meet the needs of each individual city looking to achieve success. 

Developing inclusive opportunities to comment is the most efficient way to deliver real feedback to officials from the people most affected by their decisions. 

Amplifying supportive voices helps highlight what is most important to the community.

While all cities are unique in their challenges and resources, much of the Final Mile programming can be scaled and applied to cities of all sizes across the U.S. to make connected bike networks achievable anywhere. 

Connected bike networks still benefit people who will never use them. Effectively communicating the universal benefits of quality bike infrastructure is crucial in building communitywide consensus. 

Bike networks add value to communities by increasing opportunity, relieving congestion, providing recreation opportunities and more — the benefits stretch far beyond those who chose to move by bike.  

Learn more about the Final Mile by visiting finalmile.peopleforbikes.org.

A Proven Model for Accelerating Bike Networks

These 2021 builds are all more than just bike lanes — they represent political wins, Complete Streets projects and crucial connections that make up comprehensive bike networks.

In 2018, PeopleForBikes set out to create a proven model for how U.S. cities can systematically increase bicycle mobility. The playbook included tapping into existing community support for biking, amplifying that support with paid communications and thoughtful neighborhood-based engagement and empowering elected leaders to accelerate bike network construction. Three years later, we have tangible results — in Austin, Denver, New Orleans, Providence and Pittsburgh — that prove this strategy works.

The five cities above were part of a two-year partnership with PeopleForBikes dubbed The Final Mile. The project sought to accelerate the installation of complete mobility networks by providing cities with the necessary financial resources, as well as tactically helping them overcome the public opinion hurdles that too often delay progress. All of the participating cities understood that change was needed to meet mounting transportation needs and the urgency of climate change — and that complete bike networks were the best course of action.

Spoiler alert: All of our best bikeways for 2021 are in Final Mile cities. While that may not read as fair and impartial (sorry, Bike Twitter), we believe that bike lanes don’t live in isolation and that a commitment to a complete, safe and accessible network is what’s going to truly help transform bicycling in America. None of our picks are perfect, but they are all significant in their respective cities, key pieces of the built environment that help escalate sustainable momentum for bicycling.

This protected bike lane, which was completed in October, connects downtown Denver to the westside Sun Valley neighborhood. For those unfamiliar with Denver, this project is a big deal due to the presence of interstate highway I-25, which divides the two areas, as well as the critical link between a more established downtown bike network and low-income neighborhoods to the southwest that have traditionally been underinvested in relative to other parts of the city.

“The Sun Valley neighborhood, in particular, is one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the city, and also one of the poorest,” said Jill Locantore, executive director of the Denver Streets Partnership. “It is really very close to downtown, as the crow flies, but until the 13th Ave. bike lane was installed, it was very difficult to get from Sun Valley to downtown via bike, particularly for new bike riders or families with kids who really need a high comfort facility to feel safe.  So the bike lane makes a whole new way of getting around viable for the folks in that neighborhood.” 

The bike lane was also upgraded based on community feedback, which speaks to the importance of outreach and engagement amongst community members and partners, as well as a broad media campaign. Denver set an ambitious goal of building a 990-mile connected, safe and comfortable bikeway system — 100 miles have been completed in the last two years alone, tripling the pace at which its planned network would be built. The West 13th Avenue route is a key part of the overall vision.

“[West 13th Avenue] provides a high comfort bike facility and connection between two crucial aspects of the Denver bike network,” said David C. Pulsipher, Denver Department of Transportation & Infrastructure (DOTI) city planner supervisor. “It connects downtown Denver with the South Platte River Trail, which carries a high volume of bicycle traffic both locally and regionally in the Denver Metro Area.”

Read more: How the Final Mile cities are working to break down barriers to bicycling.

2. South Water Street
Providence, Rhode Island

South Water Street used to be a highway ramp, under siege from speeding cars for years. Now, it’s a pedestrian-friendly destination. Far more than just a bike lane, the thoroughfare is a Complete Street, with new pedestrian crossings that make connecting to nearby Memorial Park safer and ADA-compliant, as well as bus islands that greatly improve people’s transit experience. The traffic calming has been a wild success: A study done one week after the project was completed found that there was an 84-96% reduction in the percent of vehicles traveling faster than 30 mph, a life-saving measure by any account. 

“While this project faced significant pushback from businesses, institutions and a State DOT interested in preserving the status quo, neighborhood residents and forward-thinking elected officials were able to fight through it to the project's widely celebrated conclusion,” said Liza Burkin, lead organizer of the Providence Streets Coalition, which was instrumental in engaging residents around the project. 

South Water Street’s infrastructure improvements mark a return to people-focused design for the area, which have not only strengthened Providence’s sense of community, but also help sustain momentum for 22 miles of bike lanes slated for construction in 2022. Crucially, the new bikeway connects the recently completed Michael Van Leesten Pedestrian and Bicycle Bridge — and new bicycle infrastructure on the other side of the bridge in downtown Providence — to the East Bay Bike Path, one of the state’s most popular trails for both recreation and commuting.

“The South Water Street bikeway closes a critical gap in Providence’s envisioned urban trail network,” said Martina Haggerty, director of special projects at the City of Providence Department of Planning and Development. “By connecting our neighborhoods to one another and regional assets like the East Bay Bike Path, we’re expanding access for thousands of people of all ages and abilities.”

Read more: A 1.5-mile stretch of Broad Street in Providence, Rhode Island, is undergoing a holistic mobility upgrade and community engagement is an integral part of the plan.

3. Smallman Street
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

In a city with more than seven miles of protected bike lanes, some built in 2021, why would we honor this painted standard lane? While Smallman Street certainly isn’t one of the best bikeways in the true sense of the word, it does represent a significant win for bikes. In an era where even transportation is politicized, that counts for a lot. 

Whereas before this four-block stretch of Smallman Street was completely wild, the redesign made it a little less chaotic. The painted bike lanes were accompanied by sidewalk improvements, new lighting and new crosswalks, making the entire area more appealing to pedestrians and bicyclists alike. Importantly, these improvements are located in the heart of Pittsburgh’s Strip District, which helped push the conversation forward regarding the need to create safe bike connections through the area. Scott Bricker, the executive director of BikePGH, is cautiously optimistic about what this accomplishment might mean for the district.

“Smallman Street is both significant and not very comfortable, especially with a bunch of people parking incorrectly,” said Bricker, noting that it’s designated back-in angle only. “But it did win some contested space for bikes at a time when the city had no appetite to carve out space for bikes on that street.”

While there are bike lanes at the periphery, there are currently none that extend through the Strip District, cutting off a neighborhood that’s undergoing major economic development. While a painted bike lane there might seem like a small gain, it established biking in an area that’s coming alive with art and restaurants — and it’s led to new community engagement opportunities for advocates and the city to build on. It's Bike Pittsburgh's hope that 2022 will kickstart a broader neighborhood planning process and be the year to connect the Strip to the surrounding bike lane network.

Read more: How Pittsburgh’s Move PGH pilot is making different forms of shared mobility easily accessible — and car ownership obsolete.

4. North Peters - Elysian Fields Bikeway Corridor
New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans suffered a lot of unforeseen challenges when it came to accelerating the buildout of its bike network, including the collapse of the Hard Rock Hotel in 2019, a cyber-attack in early 2020, damage caused by Hurricane Ida in 2021, complications with FEMA roadway projects and, of course, COVID-19, which hit the region especially hard. Despite the setbacks, city officials and the New Orleans Complete Streets Coalition formed a potent partnership that achieved far more together than either would have been able to accomplish alone. A prime example is the North Peters - Elysian Fields bikeway corridor, a roadway redesign with multiple safety and mobility benefits.

“This bikeway, like others in the Mayor’s Moving New Orleans program, resulted from listening to residents throughout the network planning and design processes,” said Jennifer E. Ruley, mobility and safety program lead at the city’s Department of Public Works. “Because Elysian Fields connects to other parts of our low-stress bikeway network, even more bike trips can be served.” 

This bikeway, in the historic Marigny neighborhood, was completed through the conversion of a six-lane roadway to four lanes and the introduction of a parking-protected bike lane. Prior to this work, the .8-mile corridor had two bicyclist fatalities, one pedestrian fatality and numerous crashes involving injuries in the last seven years. For many, including Dan Farve, the former executive director of Bike Easy, the transformation of this stretch of Elysian Fields has been nothing short of amazing. 

"I used to avoid it when riding, and now I go out of my way to enjoy the fun and comfy bikeway,” said Farve. “It gets me right to Crescent Park and — with the great, connected improvements to N. Peters — it's an easy shot in and out of the French Quarter."

Residents and business owners alike have attested to how much the redesign has benefited the area, noting how much easier and safer it is for folks to move around — not a small thing in any city, let alone one that sees a lot of tourists. This street transformation demonstrates that even busy streets can be made more comfortable for people who walk, bike, drive and use transit. 

Read more: New Orleans’ Bicycle Equity Index was instrumental in the planning of its proposed 550-mile bike network.

5. Longhorn Dam Shared Use Path
Austin, Texas

Austin is the clear standout among our five Final Mile cities. In two years, the Texas capitol finished 115 miles of new bike lanes and the city’s 400-mile all ages and abilities bicycle network is currently more than halfway complete with another 200 miles to be done by 2025. By then, 83% of Austin’s residents will be able to easily walk, bike or scoot using the AAA network, connecting them to destinations throughout the city.

The Longhorn Dam Shared Use Path is a prime example of taking what a major barrier to biking and transforming it into a bikeway where anyone, from an 8-year-old or their 80-year-old grandmother, might feel comfortable bicycling. Among the east side residents that bore the brunt of the route’s previous safety risks, there has been a longtime desire to see the connection finally realized. After substantial community engagement, these immediate, interim improvements have been made while a brand new “wishbone” bicycle and pedestrian bridge is designed and built over the next five years. The pandemic prompted and accelerated action on the bikeway, which serves as an important connector between other bike paths.

“Our top priority is to improve the safety, comfort and connectivity for people on foot, using bicycles and personal mobility devices to get around Austin,” says Rob Spillar, director of Austin’s Department of Transportation. “This project shows what we can get done when we combine thoughtful community feedback, responsive agile design principles and data-driven programming. It also demonstrates how we can respond to areas of our community with the greatest need, making more equitable investments city-wide.”

Read more: Austin Will Be America’s Next Great Biking City

These builds are all more than just bike lanes — they represent political wins, Complete Streets projects and crucial connections that make up comprehensive bike networks.

The Best New Bikeways of 2021

A 1.5-mile stretch of Broad Street in Providence, Rhode Island, is slated for a holistic mobility upgrade and community engagement is an integral part of the plan.

In small towns and big cities across America, certain thoroughfares form the lifeblood of a place, serving as cultural and commercial hubs filled with restaurants, shops and places for the community to gather. Sometimes these streets define a particular neighborhood and other times they’re defined by a certain ethnic group or historic identity. In Providence, Rhode Island, Broad Street is such a place. 

Clocking in at roughly 4 miles, Broad Street maintains an international character, known for its large Asian markets, popular Dominican restaurants, numerous bodegas and lively street life. Compared to Providence and Rhode Island as a whole, Broad Street is incredibly diverse, with a primarily Latinx demographic, as well as large Black and Asian populations. Roughly 40% of Broad Street’s inhabitants are foreign-born (primarily Caribbean and Central American) and almost 35% live in poverty (the national average hovers around 15%). Additionally, some 40% of Broad Street community residents commute via walking, biking or transit and 25% of households do not have access to a car, significantly higher than the statewide and national averages. 

It’s these characteristics that, in 2017, inspired Mayor Jorge O. Elorza to rebrand Broad Street as Providence’s Latino Cultural Corridor, a move that accompanied $4.3 million in funding, the majority earmarked for bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure. The idea for developing Broad Street to become more bike and pedestrian-friendly really began in 2006, however, and in the 15 years since, has been pushed back and reimagined numerous times. The extended timeframe has provided ample opportunity for community engagement, and since 2019, the Providence Streets Coalition has taken on the bulk of that work. 

“The project development timeline has just been so long,” said Liza Burkin, lead organizer of the Providence Streets Coalition, noting that the city did a demonstration day in 2018 and still hasn’t started work. “We really felt like we needed to remind people of the entire timeline of all the public processes that have gone on over the last 15 years to get us to this point, including the demonstration day and all the safety data.”

The Providence Streets Coalition formed in 2019 as the city’s first mobility advocacy organization, establishing itself at the intersection of environmental and social justice. In the last couple of years, the group has brought that spirit to Broad Street. The core of the coalition's messaging has been driven by crash data, which highlights Broad Street's abysmal safety record for both pedestrians and bicyclists: Between 2009 and 2015, Broad Street experienced the greatest number of crashes involving people walking or riding a bicycle out of any corridor in Providence.

“We just had another fatality this summer and we had one of the City Council members get into a car crash on Broad Street,” said Burkin. “It’s a real safety problem and every passing year people understand that more and more.”

The coalition’s outreach also focuses on the fact that the city is positioning the Broad Street work as a holistic mobility project, as opposed to a bike lane project (although 3 miles of bike lanes are also part of the plan). Rather, the emphasis has been on the new crosswalks, traffic signals and bus islands, as well as the reconfiguration of everything in an integrated way, creating a balanced street for all users, drivers included. The current design even retains street parking on both sides of the road — based on feedback from residents and businesses — and instead will create bike lanes using space from a central turning lane, an unsafe and chaotic feature many folks are excited to get rid of. 

A 600-person phone poll conducted by the Providence Streets Coalition in March of this year, with oversamples of Latinx voters and those under 40, highlighted residents' support for new bicycle infrastructure. Interviews conducted in English and Spanish showed that 63% of people believe Providence should have more protected bike lanes that are separated from driving lanes, even if it means reducing driving lanes and less on-street parking. Additionally, 70% indicated that they would like to ride a bicycle more often, particularly if infrastructure designed to improve bike safety were built throughout the city. When it came specifically to the work proposed for Broad Street, 87% of residents were in favor and many said that they would ride their bikes instead of driving (45%), or that they'd shop and dine more on Broad street (50%), if there were more safe and accessible options. 

“We’re hoping to create a safe, beautiful street where the local businesses can really thrive,” said Burkin. “A street that attracts more people and gives them the ability to move quickly and easily.”

The bike lanes on Broad Street are part of a 75-mile network Providence is in the midst of building, offering greater connectivity for residents. Broad Street is an important thoroughfare and the new infrastructure will provide a crucial way for those on foot or bike to access its businesses, jobs, schools, community services and Roger Williams Park, the city’s largest greenspace.

“The park is flanked by highways and major streets and it's very difficult to get to via active modes if you don’t live right in the neighborhood,” said Burkin. “Connecting to Roger Williams Park is a big deal for the rest of the city and south Providence neighborhoods.”

The southside of Providence has been disinvested in for generations and the coalition consistently emphasizes the magnitude of the city’s investment in outreach, promoting safety first and foremost, but also how a revamped street will improve the neighborhood’s ability to flourish for decades to come. In order to celebrate the culture and history of the corridor, while sharing out the city’s plan, the Providence Streets Coalition created a virtual story map: “Broad Street Was, Is, And Will Be.” 

Comprehensive and colorful, the website tracks the history of everything from Native American displacement to redlining, moving on to the diversity that defines Broad Street today, as well as the safety data and economic demographics of the area. Finally, the site reminds folks of the city’s proposed redesign and all of the community engagement work that’s already been done, including the 2018 3D demonstration day where residents provided feedback in real-time.

A section of the Providence Streets Coalition’s website on Broad Street.

Recognizing that the public’s memory can be short, the Providence Streets Coalition took advantage of the project’s two-year delay due to COVID-19 to create the story map and promote it alongside its standard forms of outreach, including door knocking along the corridor, conducting one-on-one meetings with business owners, and biking a mobile community engagement trailer multiple times a week to block parties, farmers markets and outside of the nonprofit Youth in Action’s headquarters.

“We’re using a combination of in-person and virtual outreach to complement one another as the project nears construction,” said Burkin. “The website is the one cohesive place where people can access it all and we’re trying to get it out to as many people as possible.”

The coalition vetted the website with many of its community partners before launch, ensuring that the content was clear and the Spanish translation was as good as possible for the variety of ethnicities in the area. In addition to a coordinated email campaign and handing out postcards with QR codes at events such as the Dominican Parade, the coalition is preparing a texting campaign targeting 5,000 Broad Street residents and business owners. In addition to the website URL, the texts will contain information about the final community meeting, set to take place in the coming month. Although the project is currently out to bid and set to break ground as soon as October, the continuing COVID-19 pandemic and its Delta variant remain an ever-present variable.

Until construction is underway, the Providence Streets Coalition will continue its outreach efforts, canvassing the street and working in conjunction with organizations such as the Southside Cultural Center of Rhode Island and Community Angels. Although Burkin is optimistic about the engagement work that’s been done, she’s reluctant to be too congratulatory, noting that, “It won’t be a proven success for many more months — if not years.” After all, there are plenty of languages spoken outside of Spanish or English on Broad Street, including a variety of South Asian and West African languages, as well as Haitian Creole. For everyone that’s been engaged and included so far, there’s a neighbor that has not. As with all things community engagement, the work is ongoing and never done.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Why use a qualitative approach in your research?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Why are these persistent stereotypes so harmful?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A Q&A With Charles Brown on U.S. Barriers to Biking

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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