Every year — thanks to the work of advocates, transportation officials, and communities from coast to coast — the United States is becoming a better place for bikes. There were big wins at the state policy level, including new laws that move the needle for infrastructure funding and planning, as well as six new e-bike incentive programs. In fact, e-bikes are currently the fastest-growing category of bicycles in the U.S., and thanks to PeopleForBikes’ efforts, 39 states have adopted model three-class e-bike legislation to date. 

Bikes also won big at the polls this year, with voters approving more than $725 million in recreation infrastructure funds. Recent research by PeopleForBikes found that infrastructure improvements and a sense of community could keep new riders riding in post-pandemic years. Acting upon this information, PeopleForBikes has broadened the scope of its City Ratings program and Bicycle Network Analysis tool to help cities across America benchmark against success. We also enhanced the Ride Spot platform and our Enterprise program.

PeopleForBikes has also continued our storytelling, helping show advocates, city officials, and the bike industry what’s possible through research-based articles and replicable narratives from around the country. In case you missed them, here are 10 of our must-reads articles from 2022.

1. Parking Reform is Key to Building Bike-Friendly Cities
In order to build safe, convenient bike networks, we need to rethink how we allocate public space and specifically, how we prioritize parking.

2. What Makes a Good Electric Bike Incentive Program?
Researchers created a table tracking every e-bike incentive program in North America, providing a point of reference for new policies and future research.

3. Fire on the Mountain
In North Carolina, mountain bike trails on Cherokee land are improving citizens’ quality of life and transforming the local economy.

4. The Secret Behind Bentonville’s Success
Twenty years ago, the small, Northwest Arkansas city was relatively unknown. Today, it’s the mountain biking capital of the world.

5. The Health Benefits of Electric Bikes
E-bikes are fun, but do they still offer exercise? We surveyed the available data to find out.

6. How to Make Any City Better for Bicycling
PeopleForBikes’ new SPRINT methodology lays the groundwork for cities looking to improve bicycling locally.

7. Working to 'Ungap' Seattle's Bike Map
Wanting to bring more people to bicycling, nonprofit Seattle Neighborhood Greenways is advocating to close gaps in Seattle’s bicycle network.

8. Slow Streets Pave the Way to Better Bike Cities
Time and again, we’ve seen that when speed limits fall, safety rises — as do cities’ Bicycle Network Analysis scores.

9. The Lost Sierra Route
In Northern California, a planned 600-plus-mile trail will connect 15 mountain towns, bringing economic revitalization alongside new mountain bikers.

10. The Urban Wilderness Transforming Knoxville
The home of the University of Tennessee is becoming one of the best cities in the Southeast for biking thanks to its redefinition of "wilderness."