We’re making biking better in Hawaii 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 fall 2020, we rallied support from over 200 community members to ask for improved electric bicycle access on state forest trails.

More and more states are realizing the benefits of electric bicycles as they seek to lower vehicle miles traveled and make progress towards climate goals. This was clearly illustrated within state legislative sessions during 2022, with an unprecedented number of new laws passed that improve the rights of electric bicycle riders, expand access to places to ride and create programs that make an electric bicycle easier to purchase.

Five new state electric bicycle purchase incentive programs

This year, five states either passed or renewed funding for electric bicycle purchase incentive programs. These states include Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Massachusetts and Vermont. This amount of statewide electric bicycle incentive programs has never been seen before and the rate of adoption is not expected to decline in 2023. An overview of each program can be found below: 

Massachusetts: Up to $500 for general customers and $750 for low-income customers.

Hawaii: Up to $500 or 20% of retail price, available to students, those without cars and low-income residents on other government support programs. 

Connecticut: Up to $300 for general customers and $700 for low-income customers. 

Colorado: Invests $10 million in local rebate programs across the state and $2 million in electric bicycle share programs. The specific rebate amount is yet to be determined.

Vermont: Doubled investment in the already-allocated electric bicycle incentive program with an additional $50,000 budgeted this year. The program launched to the public in July 2022. Rebate amounts are dependent on Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) requirements.

To see a detailed list of all electric bicycle incentive programs throughout the country, check out this handy tracker from the Transportation Research and Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University.

39 states now with three-class model electric bicycle legislation

Three new states (Kansas, Massachusetts (for Class 1 and 2, not 3), and Delaware (anticipated to be signed by the governor any week now) signed PeopleForBikes’ three-class model legislation into law this year. Each state has subtle differences in its laws, but fundamentally, these bills define electric bicycles using the three-class system; Regulate electric bicycles like bicycles (meaning the same rules of the road apply to both electric bicycles and human-powered bicycles) and exempt electric bicycles from the registration, licensing or insurance requirements that apply to motor vehicles.

39 states define electric bicycles using the three-class system: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

Nine states do not use the three-class system but define electric bicycles similar to traditional bicycles: Hawaii, Kentucky, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania and South Carolina.

Two states still define electric bicycles as motorized vehicles (and may therefore require license, insurance and registration to ride: Alaska and Rhode Island.

2022 State Legislative Wins for Electric Bicycles

New legislation recognizes the power of bikes to help reach climate action goals

The 2021 state legislative sessions have proven to be focused on reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions more than ever. Many new state bills are focused specifically on the use of bicycle infrastructure and electric bicycle incentives to help achieve states’ GHG reduction goals within their transportation sectors. 

GHG emissions from the transportation sector are the largest source of climate change causing emissions in the United States. Incentivizing the use of bicycles through improved infrastructure and purchase incentive programs are simple and effective tools that states can use to reach climate action goals. Listed below are highlights from five states that passed progressive climate legislation — empowered by bikes — through their legislatures this year.

California: Assembly Bill 1147 imposes certain requirements to help regional transportation agencies bring their plans into compliance with state vehicle miles traveled reduction goals. This exciting bill also creates a program to build bicycle highways and a block grant program for 15-minute cities that could implement a bikeway network grant program (as proposed by the California Bicycle Coalition).

Colorado: Senate Bill 21-260 (also known as “Sustainability Of The Transportation System”) will provide funding for electric bicycle incentives as well as a dedicated funding stream for grants to local governments to create more walkable, bikeable downtown areas and prioritize multimodal projects. Bicycle Colorado worked closely on this bill alongside local environmental advocates. 

Hawaii: Senate Bill 1402 requires the Department of Transportation to create a contiguous network of pathways and highways for bicycles and electric bicycles to combat climate change and reach the state's GHG reduction goals.

Vermont: House Bill 433 intends to reduce transportation-related GHG emissions, reduce fossil fuel use and save Vermont households money. Included in this new law is funding for an electric bicycle purchase incentive program.

Washington: House Bill 1091 advances the state on a clear path to cleaner transportation by providing funding to projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and decarbonize the transportation sector. Examples of such projects include grants for bike and pedestrian programs and complete streets.

PeopleForBikes works diligently to track bills at all levels of government that improve bike riding and support bike businesses nationwide. Check out our policy finder to stay up to date on what we’re currently tracking and sign up for our newsletter to receive an email alert when a pro-bike policy is proposed in your area. 

Five New State Laws Seeking to Combat Climate Change Through Bikes

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’ve combed through every state bicycling bill currently being considered — here are the top five themes that emerged and why they’re important.

PeopleForBikes’ state and local policy team keeps a running document of state legislative bills that could have implications, good or bad, for bike riding and bike businesses. Over the past six years, they’ve noted a significant bump in the representation of bikes in state legislatures and recently, certain bills have stood out as fitting into a national theme or being completely novel.

“The 2021 legislative sessions are proving to be a prime example of how bike legislation can not only improve bike riding but also play a serious role in helping states achieve their environmental, social and economic goals,” said Ashley Seaward, PeopleForBikes’ regulatory and policy analyst.

Updated as of February 2021, the five policies highlighted below represent shifts in the way America is making recreation and active transportation decisions, even if none of them are ultimately passed into law. To simply have the ideas in these bills put into an official form at the legislative level means we’re on the right track toward garnering broad public support for bicycles and improving our communities nationwide.

Outdoor recreation bills have been introduced in Utah (House Bill 254), Nebraska (Legislative Bill 605) and Washington (House Bill 5292), but we’re particularly fond of Illinois’ House Bill 194. The bill, introduced by Rep. Sonya M. Harper, creates the Outdoor RX Program Act, which would provide funds for outdoor environmental, ecological, agricultural and other natural resource and outdoor-based therapy programs. 

Included in the bill is some great preamble language: “Time outdoors can be a valuable adjunct therapy in addition to more traditional health care, while also reducing reliance on prescription medication.” Furthermore, the bill lists the therapeutic benefits of time spent outdoors as a scientific fact, a known way to “help reduce stress, improve concentration and promote overall well-being, both physical and mental.” 

Why should you care? This bill would put into Illinois state law that outdoor recreation is on par with other forms of therapy and medicine, opening the opportunity for other states (and, ideally, insurance companies) to follow suit. By providing a more holistic approach to caring for people, a healthcare provider might eventually be able to prescribe riding a bike instead of medication, lessening our dependence on prescription medication while still improving our overall health.

In case you missed it, our federal policy team has been hard at work alongside Representatives Jimmy Panetta (D-CA) and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) to introduce the Electric Bicycle Incentive Kickstart for the Environment (E-BIKE) Act (H.R. 1019). At the state level, there are currently 23 proposed bills related to electric bicycles. 

California’s Assembly Bill 117 stands out for its acknowledgment that electric bicycles are a critical form of transportation and integral when it comes to reducing carbon emissions. This bill would bring about a massive investment in electric bicycles through the Electric Bicycle Rebate Pilot Project, which would be funded with $10 million from the state’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund as part of the Air Quality Improvement Program. 

Two other electric bicycle incentive bills of note: Oklahoma’s Senate Bill 435, which would legalize a $200 electric bicycle purchase incentive, and Washington’s House Bill 1330, which would do away with the existing sales tax on electric bicycles and allow for a $200 incentive to be used on related bicycling equipment. 

Why should you care? A 2019 study found that across the United States, we can expect an 11% decrease in carbon emissions with a 15% increase in electric bicycle mode share. The above states are the first to put out realistic models for incentivizing this shift and getting more people buying, and commuting by, electric bicycles.

Dubbed “GHG” for greenhouse gas emissions by our policy team, these bills offer ways for states to combat the rising threat of climate change. Although most bills propose multiple avenues for reducing emissions, all have positive implications for bike infrastructure. Vermont’s House Bill 120 specifically names bicycle infrastructure networks as a way to reduce emissions.

New Jersey’s Assembly Bill 5196 would provide loans and other financial assistance for climate change mitigation and resilience projects, including “zero-emission vehicle infrastructure” (i.e. bike networks). What’s more, the bill stipulates that climate change mitigation projects might include “zero-emission public transportation projects,” such as bike share programs.

Why should you care? Bills like these have only started to emerge in the last few years, hinting at a larger shift in the national conversation surrounding climate change. By providing large-scale funding for public investment projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, these kinds of bills mean big money for potential bike projects. They also offer a prime opportunity for environmental and transportation advocates to collaborate on a unified goal of reducing emissions through bikes.

No bill is likely to get more people riding than one that offers financial benefits for bicyclists. There are currently two policy proposals that do just that in New York and Hawaii. Hawaii’s, Senate Bill 524, is really an overall commuting bill with positive implications for workers that choose to bike. Similar to the federal Bicycle Commuter Act, which was recently reintroduced to Congress, it would essentially give Hawaiians commuter benefits no matter what mode of transportation they choose.

The preamble language is particularly bold and we’re here for it: “The legislature finds that the State's policy of providing highly subsidized parking for state employees limits the employees' choices, does not reduce traffic congestion or greenhouse gas emissions, and contradicts state policies to encourage alternative modes of transportation.” New York’s Assembly Bill 2234 would similarly allow bicyclists to qualify for commuter benefits.

Why should you care? People should be rewarded for choosing to get to work by bike and, in lieu of national action that’s proved fickle in the past, states are starting to take action. More people commuting by bike means more support for bike infrastructure, cleaner air and healthier employees.

5. Action on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)


What does a DEI bill have to do with biking? Like almost everything in American life, transportation is intersectional and there’s a long history of disenfranchisement when it comes to Black, Indigenous and people of color, as well as low-income populations and folks with disabilities. Oregon’s House Bill 2985 would ensure that members of the Oregon Department of Transportation advisory committee reflect the racial, ethnic and ability composition of the state.

Why should you care? Transportation decisions need to be made with input from people from all communities, backgrounds and ethnicities. Historically, Black and brown communities have been underrepresented or excluded completely from public planning decisions at every level. We need to make sure there are legal obligations to include all people affected by transportation projects and decisions.

Interested in keeping up with the policies PeopleForBikes supports? Check out our Policy Finder.

5 Bills Every Bike Advocate Should Care About

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2022 State Legislative Wins for Electric Bicycles

Five New State Laws Seeking to Combat Climate Change Through Bikes

Better Bike Share Partnership Awards $89,970 in Grants

5 Bills Every Bike Advocate Should Care About