We’re making biking better in New Hampshire 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 2020, our Community Grant Program provided funding to the Coos Cycling Club to connect the existing mountain bike trail network in Gorham to the downtown area with three related projects on a parcel of land known as “The Jungle”: improvements to the main “Pipeline” trail, addition of an easy climbing trail and construction of a loop trail with skills features that will be known as “The Jungle Gym.”

More than $50,000 awarded to projects dedicated to building great places to ride bikes

Since 1999, we have awarded 439 grants to non-profit 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. To decide which projects receive funding, we invite staff members interested in spending 10-12 hours reviewing, scoring, discussing and debating grant finalists to participate in the Grant Review Committee. We ask at least one person from each PeopleForBikes department to join the group because every team, and every person, brings a fresh and different perspective.

The process was shaped by the quarantine: Meet with the committee in the conference room? No way. Lay out the pros and cons on a whiteboard? Nope. Homemade rhubarb coffee cake to boost your blood sugar during the mid-review lull? Couldn’t do that either. After months of e-meetings, we struggled to stay focused, but the energy of the projects and the people who are building them lifted our spirits.

Every year, we get more top notch grant proposals than we can possibly fund. Selecting the best ones  is a difficult task. But as long as projects keep getting built, we’ll keep funding because we know, perhaps now more than ever, that great places to ride are essential. Here, with deep appreciation to the brands that support our Community Grants Program (Batch, Cannondale, Giant, Niner, Shimano, Trek and Vaast), are the Spring 2020 grant recipients:

The Urban Bike Project will use this funding to purchase and install a bike fix-it station to complement the two stations the City of Wilmington is building. The stations will be placed in key locations around the city that do not have access to other bike repair options.

Bike Durham Low Stress Network Advocacy Campaign: $10,000

This comprehensive advocacy campaign will help Bike Durham develop a complete multimodal network. Their ambitious goal: A city commitment to fund and implement 125 miles of slow streets, protected bike lanes and greenway infrastructure by 2025.

Creation of a Beginner Trail at Cacapon State Park: $10,000

This PeopleForBikes grant will help the Cacapon Resort State Park foundation build a 2.6-mile, beginner-level mountain bike trail to complement the existing advanced trails throughout the park. This addition will create a trail loop that meets the requirements  for NICA mountain bike team races, helping support the local team as well as residents and visitors from near and far.

Baltimore Play Streets Advocacy Program: $8,000

Baltimore will use this funding to develop a Play Streets pilot to plan and pay for community events that will  serve as outreach and engagement tools to help plan future infrastructure improvements.

A devastating flash flood in July 2019 created a 40-foot chasm in the 51-mile Redbank Valley Trail, rendering it impassable along a popular stretch. PeopleForBikes’ grant will help the Redbank Valley Trails Association build a bridge to reconnect these sections and revive this popular destination for residents and visitors.

Silver Dollar BMX Relocation and Track Rebuild: $7,500

PeopleForBikes’ grant will help fund this track relocation project. The new facility will include two world-class BMX tracks, allowing the organization to expand and serve more riders across Northern California.

Coos Cycling Club will use this funding to connect the existing mountain bike trail network in Gorham to the downtown area with three related projects: improvements to the main “Pipeline” trail, addition of an easy climbing trail and construction of a loop trail with skills features.

Neighbors Building Neighborhoods of Muskogee will use this grant to install bike racks in the newly renovated Depot District public space. The bike parking will serve people riding to downtown attractions including the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame and Muskogee Little Theater.

PeopleForBikes Announces Spring Community Grants Recipients

2019 started with 11 states using the model three-class e-bike definitions. As of June 19, 22 states now define e-bikes within the three classes, effectively doubling the total in just six months. These eleven new states are: Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming.

A few major themes can be attributed to this success. First, states follow each others’ leads and seek regional consistency in how they treat e-bikes, so there’s momentum. Second, the e-bike market is booming and states recognize that riders need consistent and common-sense rules for where they can be ridden.

Last but not least, the unwavering support from the industry led directly to these wins. Without the above and beyond contributions raised by the BPSA E-Bike Committee to build on-the-ground teams in each of these states, making this much progress in one year would not have been possible. The companies that supported the e-bike initiative in 2019 are: Accell North America, Allegion/Kryptonite, Bosch, Brose, Bulls, Cycling Sports Group, DT Swiss, Envelo, Fantic, Felt, Foldaway Solutions, Fox, Genze, Giant, GM, Harley Davidson, Hi-Power Cycles, Ohm Cycles, Oregon E-Bikes, Pacific Cycle, Pedego, REI, Riese and Muller, Rocky Mountain, Shimano, Specialized, Sport Technik/M1, SRAM, Suzhou Bafang, Taioku, Tempo Bicycles, Tern, TranzX, Trek, Yamaha and Yuba.

In 2015, the BPSA and PeopleForBikes began this national campaign to pass clear e-bike legislation in all 50 states in order to create stability in the marketplace. E-bike manufacturers put aside competitive differences to develop the three class system around critical issues like motor assist, pedal assist, wattage and operational rules.

Good e-bike laws are completely changing business models and customer bases. In states where the three class system of e-bikes has passed, suppliers report that sales of e-bikes more than double. On the local level, bike retailers in states with this law report that having a statewide three class e-bike system helps their team clearly explain where e-bikes are and aren’t allowed, and e-bike sales help offset the loss of revenue due to other declining categories.

Most importantly good e-bike laws are leading to better e-bike access. For example, after Wyoming legislators passed the state’s three class e-bike law in February, Wyoming State Parks decided to allow Class 1 eMTBs anywhere a traditional mountain bike is allowed, and even opted to conduct a Class 2 pilot project. A number of local trail access wins from Virginia to Arizona can be attributed to land managers recognizing the increase of eMTB use and creating consistency with the three classes of e-bikes and state laws.

22 States Now Follow the Three Class E-bike System, Doubling Total in Six Months

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PeopleForBikes Announces Spring Community Grants Recipients

22 States Now Follow the Three Class E-bike System, Doubling Total in Six Months