We’re making biking better in North Dakota 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.

Photo Credit: Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau

PeopleForBikes’ annual City Ratings is a data-driven program to identify, evaluate, and compare the best cities and towns for bicycling in the U.S. and across the world. Based on data from PeopleForBikes’ Bicycle Network Analysis (BNA), each city receives a City Ratings score on a scale of 0-100. 

High-scoring cities often perform well across six factors captured in the acronym SPRINT: safe speeds, protected bike lanes, reallocated space for biking and walking, intersection treatments, network connections, and trusted data.


For 2024, we ranked more than 2,500 cities worldwide, including 816 new U.S. cities and 133 new cities across the U.K. and Australia.

Medium Cities (50,000-300,000 population)

A quick update on pro-bike policies from across the U.S.

Every year, PeopleForBikes monitors more than 200 state legislative bills to track the national bicycling landscape and quickly rally our supporters to back proposed improvements that could benefit bike riding in areas like infrastructure, funding, incentives and safety regulations.

Although the COVID-19 pandemic required many legislatures to adjust their sessions to accommodate virtual settings, many pro-bike bills across the U.S. still progressed through the legislative process. A few recent examples of these bills can be found below.

Model electric bicycle legislation: These bills define electric bicycles using the three-class system, establish rules of the road similar to human-powered bicycles and exempt electric bicycles from the registration, licensing or insurance requirements that apply to motor vehicles. Model electric bicycle legislation was passed in Alabama (HB 99), Iowa (HF 493), Minnesota (HF 10), Missouri (SB 176), Mississippi (HB 1195), Nevada (SB 369), North Dakota (HB 1148) and Vermont (SB 66) this year.

Safe passing: These bills typically require the driver of a vehicle to provide at least three feet of space when passing a bicycle traveling the same direction on a roadway. Safe passing laws were passed in North Dakota (HB 1290) and Georgia (HB 353) this year.

Idaho stop: These bills typically allow bike riders to treat a stop sign as a yield sign and a red light as a stop sign in certain situations. Idaho stop laws were passed in North Dakota (HB 1252), Oklahoma (HB 1770) and Utah (HB 142) this year.

Vulnerable users: These bills typically help protect vulnerable road users, such as bike riders and pedestrians, by establishing fines that discourage and punish careless driving. A vulnerable users law was passed in Maryland (HB 118) this year.

Sustainable Transportation: This legislation supports decreasing the transportation sector’s greenhouse gas emissions by investing in bicycle infrastructure and electric alternatives to combustion vehicles. Sustainable transportation laws were passed in Colorado (SB 260) and Washington (HB 1091) this year.

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 alert when a pro-bike policy is proposed in your area. Any additional questions? Contact PeopleForBikes Regulatory and Policy Analyst Ashley Seaward at ashley@peopleforbikes.org for more information.

PeopleForBikes’ 2021 Mid-Year Legislative Recap

Two-thirds of U.S. states now define and regulate electric bicycles in three-class system 

PeopleForBikes is pleased to announce that 36 states have now signed our model electric bicycle legislation into law, eight of which occurred just this year. We’re seeing increased momentum in states passing this model legislation that clarifies the use and regulation of electric bicycles, making the law easier for retailers, riders and decision makers to understand. Thank you to all of our partners who have supported this initiative so far.

The eight states that signed this model legislation into law in 2021 include Alabama, Iowa, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, North Dakota and Vermont. Each state has subtle differences in its laws, but fundamentally, these bills do the following:

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.

Exempt electric bicycles from the registration, licensing or insurance requirements that apply to motor vehicles.

There are still 14 states that have not adopted model legislation. Four of these states lack a specific vehicle classification for electric bicycles and the remaining 10 states recognize electric bicycles in some form, but do not utilize the three-class system. 

Our goal is to clearly define electric bicycles and provide sensible rules for their use. We strive to pass our model legislation in all 50 states to ensure that:

Outdated vehicle regulations are updated to reflect technological advances.

Low-speed electric bicycles are regulated similarly to traditional bicycles.

Consumers and retailers are not confused about their state’s electric bicycle laws.

The public is encouraged to take advantage of the benefits that electric bicycles offer.

PeopleForBikes believes that electric bicycles are the future of bike riding due to the immense benefits they can provide in improving communities' health and decreasing carbon emissions by replacing trips that would be otherwise taken by car. Electric bicycles are replacing single vehicle trips, helping people ride their bikes further with more convenience and making them happier and healthier in the process.

You can find details on your state’s specific electric bicycle law here. Any additional questions? Contact PeopleForBikes Regulatory and Policy Analyst Ashley Seaward at ashley@peopleforbikes.org for more information.

Model Electric Bicycle Laws Now in 36 States

Due to the constantly changing dimensions of the COVID-19 crisis, we encourage you to follow all current CDC guidelines as well as local travel advisories and recommendations. Take care of yourselves and loved ones. We’re all in this together.

Cities that score well in Safety have low traffic fatality and injury rates and are places where people feel safe riding a bike. We know that people ride more not only when they are safe, but also when they feel safe. 

We develop our  City Ratings Safety score using  three sources of data. 

Bike and all mode fatality rates. The Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) reports on the number of fatalities associated with motor vehicle traffic crashes across the U.S.  Because the number of fatalities at the city level can vary significantly from year to year, we average fatality rates across a five-year period.

Bike and all mode injury rates. The City Snapshot records the number of type A injuries (incapacitating; requiring ambulance transport) on an annual basis. Focusing on type A injuries provides a standard definition that allows us to compare across cities.

Perceptions of safety. The PlacesForBikes Community Survey measures how people feel about bike riding in their communities. We know that many people won’t get on bikes if they don’t feel safe.

Lawrence has a long history of planning for bicycles, dating all the way back to their first Pedal Plan developed in 1976. Recently, the Neighborhood Traffic Management Program (NTMP), established in December of 2018, has played a major role in making the city safer for biking.

“The NTMP is a comprehensive program designed specifically to improve the environment and quality of life in Lawrence through driver awareness, management and control of traffic on neighborhood streets,” says Jessica Mortinger, Lawrence’s transportation planning manager. “This comprehensive approach to traffic management should make neighborhoods more comfortable places to walk and bike for all residents.”

The Lawrence Bikes Plan, completed in August of 2019, is also a big player when it comes to safer streets. The plan includes a matrix to help evaluate the level of comfort people have on different bikeways (shared use path, bike lane, etc.) which is then used to shape appropriate infrastructure concepts. The plan also overlaps with the Safe Routes to School Plan, which is working to identify projects that can be used to increase the level of comfort and safety for students biking to school.

Prior to the year 2000, Grand Forks focused primarily on recreational cycling. After a historic flood in 1997, the city shifted during a rebuilding period, constructing a well-connected, shared-use trail system to benefit both recreational riders and commuters.

Grand Forks recognized that early education is key in preparing bike riders for a lifetime of safety on two wheels. Safe Kids Grand Forks, part of Safe Kids Worldwide, a global network of organizations dedicated to preventing accidental injuries for youths, provide annual safe cycling classes to all Grand Forks third graders.

Grand Forks’ Greenway (built after the flood in ‘97) provides more than 20 miles of off-road paths and trails along both sides of the Red River to move around town — and even into neighboring Minnesota — without ever interacting with vehicular traffic. “The bikeway system provides routes through natural areas featuring rivers, coulees, woodlands and prairies for a diverse landscape setting,” says Stephanie Halford, senior planner for the City of Grand Forks. “Connectivity between residential and business sectors makes choosing cycling for commuter travel easier, safer and much more attainable.”

Locations

North Dakota

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Medora ND - Mixed Surface (Paved/Gravel)

Distance: 36 Miles

2 Rivers Bicycle and Outdoor

Maah Daah Hey Trail | IMBA EPIC

Distance: 93 Miles

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PeopleForBikes Work in North Dakota

News

2024’s Best Places to Bike

PeopleForBikes’ 2021 Mid-Year Legislative Recap

Model Electric Bicycle Laws Now in 36 States

2020 City Ratings: Safety