The PeopleForBikes Foundation works to advance safer streets, connected bike networks, and accessible trails in communities nationwide so millions of people can experience the joy and benefits of biking. Our vision is to help the United States become the best place in the world to ride a bike. That work requires resources, which is why we’re proud to partner with members of the PeopleForBikes Coalition — made up of 340+ brands and suppliers from across the bike industry — to bring our vision to life. From in-person activations to digital giving integrations, our partners are finding creative, high-impact ways to bring their riders and employees into the fold and help build what makes biking possible.

At Sea Otter Classic — one of the largest bike industry gatherings in the U.S. — Endura set up a simple offer at their booth: donate to the PeopleForBikes Foundation, get a custom hat. 

"PeopleForBikes is the voice of bicycle riders in the United States. It was absolutely a no-brainer to raise awareness of the work they are doing on the front lines across the country,” said Tim Hayes, commercial director at Endura. “The Sea Otter Classic is the biggest event on our calendar, and with thousands of riders walking through the event, we thought we would have a little fun making some custom hats along with telling people about PeopleForBikes! It was a huge hit and we look forward to continuing our partnership in the future."

When riders sign up for bike events through BikeReg, they now have the option to donate to the PeopleForBikes Foundation at checkout and join our email list to learn about other opportunities to help make biking better for everyone in their community and hundreds of others across the U.S.

"At BikeReg, we connect people with the events they love. Partnering with the PeopleForBikes Foundation lets us support the work that grows the cycling community — safer roads, better trails, and more people discovering the joy of riding,” said Evan Huff, senior product and operations manager at BikeReg. “Our community has shown up with real generosity, and we're proud to be a bridge between passionate cyclists and the organization fighting for the future of riding."

Trek Bicycle offered their employees a payroll giving option — a small, recurring deduction that adds up to meaningful support for our work advancing safe, fun, and connected places to ride across the country.


"We wanted to make it effortless for our people to support a brighter future through bikes. Through our payroll giving program with the PeopleForBikes Foundation, Trek employees can contribute to the infrastructure, policy work, and advocacy that make riding safer and more accessible in communities across the country,” said Bob Burns, global advocacy director at Trek Bicycle. “It's a point of pride for our team — knowing that a small, steady investment from each paycheck adds up to real change on the ground."

Whether it's an event activation, a digital giving integration, or an internal employee program, there are so many different ways your brand can get involved in supporting the PeopleForBikes Foundation and our work building what makes biking possible. Contact Senior Manager of Philanthropy Ben Malmborg-Wild at ben@peopleforbikes.org to explore a Foundation fundraising partnership that works for you.

PeopleForBikes Coalition Members Are Building What Makes Biking Possible, and Your Brand Can Too

Five cities. Two years. Three hundred miles of new bikeways. When PeopleForBikes launched the Final Mile in 2018, the goal was simple to state yet hard to prove: Could a city move faster on building a safe and connected bike network than the usual eight-to-ten-year timeline — and would the investment stick?

Six years later, the 2026 City Ratings have the answer.  The five Final Mile cities — Austin, Texas; Denver, Colorado; New Orleans, Louisiana; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Providence, Rhode Island — are still riding the momentum the program built, and their networks and planned bike infrastructure projects tell a story about what happens when a city gets the resources and political will to make a difference.

The Future of Mobility — Five Cities Paving The Way

The Final Mile was a two-year partnership between PeopleForBikes and Wend Collective, designed as a playbook for accelerating the construction of safe and connected bike networks. It didn't fund infrastructure directly. Instead, it gave cities the financial resources and expertise to run broad public marketing campaigns, build diverse community coalitions, and give local elected leaders the political cover to move fast.

The five participating cities used that support to collectively build more than 300 miles of new low-stress bikeways in a fraction of the usual time.

Backed by the $460 million Proposition B transportation bond, Austin used Final Mile support to build 100 miles of new bikeways in just two years, part of a broader push toward a 400-mile all-ages-and-abilities network.

Denver tripled the pace of its planned low-stress bikeway network, constructing 100 miles of new bikeways during the Final Mile period.

New Orleans managed to construct 27 miles of new “high comfort” bikeways, predominantly in its historically underserved Algiers neighborhood. Unfortunately, the New Orleans City Council voted unanimously to remove two segments of protected bike lanes in Algiers in 2022.

Pittsburgh leaders completed 50 new network miles aligned with the city's Bike(+) Plan, part of a run that took Pittsburgh from the 170th-best U.S. city for biking into the top 20 in a single year.

Under its Great Streets Initiative, Providence built 43 miles of new bikeways, including a network of two-way "urban trails" fully protected from traffic on one side of the street.

The 2026 City Ratings rated more than 3,000 cities across the U.S. and landed at a milestone moment: 555 U.S. communities scored 50 or higher this year, up from 234 in 2025 and just 33 back in 2019. That big improvement comes even as we tightened our Bicycle Network Analysis (BNA) methodology to reflect updated design standards and census data.

Against that backdrop, the Final Mile cities are still showing up, each with key projects tracked through our Great Bike Infrastructure Project that are adding to their growing bike networks.

“Looking back, it was really meaningful for the mayor to adopt a signature initiative with a clear, measurable target — building 125 miles of high-comfort bikeways within just a few short years — backed up with substantial funding, including both general bond funding and appropriations in the annual budget,” said Jill Locantore, executive director of Denver Streets Partnership. “Denver has made significantly more progress toward building out a complete, connected bike network than we would have otherwise, and it's noticeable to anyone who bikes around Denver.”

Broadway Bikeway: Denver's first protected bikeway installed on a major arterial street (outside of downtown) provides people on bikes with a direct connection along a popular commercial corridor and demonstrates that reducing space for cars on these types of streets improves safety and access for everyone, not just bikers.

13th Avenue Protected Bikeway: One of PeopleForBikes’ Best New Bikeways of 2021 provides a critical connection into downtown from a lower-income neighborhood on Denver's west side that has suffered from decades of disinvestment. The route is still very heavily used.

7th Avenue: This project is a great example of a neighborhood bikeway (not a separated bike lane but traffic calming treatments intended to prioritize people biking and walking by reducing the volume and speed of traffic), and an instance where the city held firm in the face of opposition from homeowners who opposed the project. 

“The Final Mile was catalytic in helping Austin accelerate implementation of its All Ages and Abilities (AAA) Bicycle Network from about 15 miles per year at the beginning of 2018 to over 30 miles per year by June 2021. The successful projects and network buildout completed during the Final Mile also helped set the stage for a 2020 voter-approved bond that increased funding for bikeways, trails, and other active transportation and safety infrastructure by 2.5 times,” said Caitlin D’Alton with the City of Austin. “In the five years since the Final Mile concluded, Austin has continued building the network at an average rate of approximately 35 miles per year, allowing the city to meet ambitious council-adopted goals. The total AAA Bicycle Network grew from 132 to 223 miles during the Final Mile and has since expanded to 377 miles today.”

Barton Springs Road Safety Project: Completed in 2023, the project made critical safety and multimodal connectivity improvements, including connections to Zilker Park. Data showed that high-risk speeding dropped 64–70% and public support for the project increased. Since completion of the $800,000 project, annual comprehensive crash costs have fallen by more than $10 million.

Cameron Road/Dessau Road Safety Project: Completed in 2025, this 6-mile project includes a 5-mile stretch that reduced seven traffic lanes down to five. Early data is showing very strong safety results.

Protected intersections: Austin has completed 38 protected intersections, with more than 30 additional intersections currently in development.

Pittsburgh | 2026 City Ratings Score: 34 

Smallman Street: This funded project will improve multimodal safety along Smallman Street by adding an outbound bike lane, rebuilding the sidewalk, and improving crossing safety between 21st and 36th streets, tying the Strip District's growing retail and job base into Pittsburgh's low-stress network.

West End Trolley Trail: Built along a former trolley right-of-way, this off-road, shared-use path will run from the intersection of Noblestown Road and Crafton Boulevard approximately 0.6 miles to McCartney Street. Once complete, it will increase connectivity between West End neighborhoods, downtown Pittsburgh, and the Three Rivers Heritage Trail.

New Orleans | 2026 City Ratings Score: 33 

Lafitte Greenway: This 2.6-mile bicycle and pedestrian trail and green corridor connects neighborhoods from Armstrong Park to City Park along a historic rail and canal corridor. The path includes a 12-foot asphalt lane for cyclists and pedestrians, roughly 500 shade trees, native plant meadows, and stormwater retention features.

Providence | 2026 City Ratings Score: 28 

Woonasquatucket River Greenway Project: In June 2026, state and city leaders opened a new one-mile section of the Greenway running from Kinsley Avenue to Promenade Street, creating a dedicated trail for walkers, runners and cyclists. The completed stretch adds three pocket parks near Eagle, Hemlock and Bath streets and two kayak launches near Eagle and Leland streets, extending a greenway that has been in the works for more than three decades.

Connector Bike Path: This new urban trail section links the Washington Secondary bike path from its Cranston trailhead into Providence's bike network, ultimately connecting through the new 6/10 bike path into the Woonasquatucket River Greenway. The connector ties Providence's 25 neighborhoods into a single low-stress network, giving riders a direct link between the West End and jobs, schools, and recreation across the city.

Safe Streets for All: Backed by a $27.2 million Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) federal grant, Providence is designing, enhancing, and constructing more than three miles of urban trails, including a protected urban trail conversion on Broadway. The project targets last-mile connections to residential, employment, and cultural activity centers between the city's 25 neighborhoods while eliminating fatal and serious crashes for vulnerable road users.

As all of these cities continue to work towards the 50-point tipping point, it proves that the Final Mile wasn't meant to be a finish line. It was proof that the right combination of funding, community coalition-building, and political will can compress a decade of progress into two years, and that cities can keep building on that foundation long after the campaign ends.

The real legacy of the Final Mile isn't just the bike networks it helped build — it's the model it created. PeopleForBikes continues to use the lessons learned from Austin, Denver, New Orleans, Pittsburgh, and Providence to shape how we support cities of all sizes nationwide in improving bicycling in their communities. 

No matter where a community is on its journey to becoming a great place to ride, PeopleForBikes' SPRINT framework outlines six things that make the biggest difference in making biking safe and accessible.

Slower traffic means safer streets. When cars are going 25 mph or less, bikes and cars can share the road comfortably.

A physical barrier, not just a painted line, between bikes and traffic increases road safety for everyone.

An extra car lane or unused parking can easily turn into more room for people biking and walking.

Safe crossings at busy intersections make an entire route feel safer.

Bike routes that actually connect to each other ensure riders aren't stranded after a good stretch of bike lane leads nowhere.

Reliable, up-to-date information shows cities exactly where the gaps exist and investments will make the biggest difference.

Want to see how your city's network stacks up? Explore the full 2026 City Ratings at cityratings.peopleforbikes.org, and consider donating to the PeopleForBikes Foundation to help build the next success story in your community.

Six Years Later, the Final Mile Is Still Paying Off

Every year, PeopleForBikes' City Ratings evaluates how effectively communities connect people to the places they want to go by bike. Access to jobs, healthcare, shopping, recreation, transit, and education all play a role in determining how well a city’s bike network serves the people who rely on it.

However, one destination category stands out from the rest: schools.

At first glance, school access may seem like just another metric within the Bicycle Network Analysis, the data model that powers City Ratings. But it might be one of the most important indicators of a community's long-term bicycling success.

Why? Because a city where a child can safely ride to school is doing more than connecting students to a classroom. It's creating opportunities for independence, physical activity, and lifelong riding habits. In many ways, it is investing in the future of bicycling itself.

Research consistently shows that people are more likely to ride when safe, connected infrastructure exists close to home. By connecting schools to neighborhoods through low-stress bike networks, cities create opportunities for young people to experience transportation independence at an early age. Those experiences can then set the stage for a lifetime of healthy bicycling habits while also making riding more visible and normal for the broader community. 

PeopleForBikes has seen firsthand the impact communities experience when young people have more opportunities to ride bikes. As the convener of the Youth Cycling Coalition (YCC), PeopleForBikes collaborates with national youth organizations working every day to help young people discover the benefits of bicycling. From learn-to-ride programs and bike buses to school-based mountain bike teams and after-school clubs, these organizations are helping kids build confidence, develop skills, and find joy through the bicycle.

But even the best youth programs depend on a larger community ecosystem. 

“The cool thing about bike buses is that they don’t require perfect city infrastructure,” said Sam Balto, founder of Bike Bus World. “But it’s evident that communities with better bicycling infrastructure see higher rates of rider retention after the coordinated event concludes because there are safe places to continue riding your bike.”

That is why City Ratings and the Bicycle Network Analysis are so valuable. They give communities a clear picture of where safe, connected bike networks exist today and where improvements will make the biggest difference. PeopleForBikes encourages everyone to learn more about their city’s score and use that information to start conversations with local leaders about improving access to schools by bike. 

How to see the connectivity of neighborhoods surrounding local schools:

Under the “Stress Network” dropdown, click “Census Blocks by BNA Score” then “Apply”

Under the “Destinations” dropdown, click “Schools” then “Apply”

Identify your local city administrator and/or planning director 

Ask how school connectivity fits into your city’s comprehensive plan 

Encourage local leaders and elected officials to prioritize low-stress bike routes that connect neighborhoods to schools and other everyday destinations.

The future of bicycling starts with the next generation of riders. One of the best ways to support those riders, and the future of bicycling, is by ensuring they can safely reach one of the most important destinations in their lives — school.

Why the Ride to School Matters More Than You Think

The West Hollywood Bicycle Coalition celebrates Bike Week in collaboration with the City of West Hollywood and BikeLA.

West Hollywood might not be the first place that comes to mind when many people think of great American bike cities. It sits inside one of the most car-dominant metro areas in the world, covers less than 2 square miles, and is surrounded on three sides by Los Angeles — a city which, as Kevin Burton puts it, "is the most challenging urban environment for bicycling I've encountered."

But West Hollywood is changing. In PeopleForBikes' 2026 City Ratings, the city earned a score of 37 out of 100 and a spot on our list of 8 Cities to Watch. Behind that number is a story of persistent local advocacy, an energized city council, and a committed strategy for building a bike network that actually connects people with where they need to go.

Burton is the co-founder of the West Hollywood Bicycle Coalition (WeHoBYCO), a community-based advocacy group that has spent years pushing the city to follow through on plans that were, as Burton describes it, "gathering dust on the shelf." We sat down with him to learn what's working and what other cities can learn from the WeHo model.

In April 2025, the West Hollywood City Council unanimously voted to build only protected bike infrastructure on future street projects, making it the first city in the Los Angeles area to make that commitment.

The policy includes a "where feasible" qualifier — protected lanes require an extra 3 to 5 feet of street width minimum, making them impossible on some narrower roads — but Burton is clear that the council's intent is to build protected lanes wherever it can.

"The council is very supportive of doing protected bike lanes where at all possible," Burton says. "But it's not an absolute mandate."

Getting to that vote took years of coalition work: attending city meetings, leading rides with council members, stopping to point out existing and planned lanes, and explaining the safety case for protection — not just for riders, but also for drivers, who cross paths with cyclists less frequently when lanes are physically separated.

One of West Hollywood's most important strategic choices has been to think beyond its own city limits. Surrounded by Los Angeles on three sides and Beverly Hills on the fourth, the city has designed its bike infrastructure specifically to connect with neighboring networks.

"It's a very important consideration for us to build out a network, not only within West Hollywood, but connecting to our neighboring cities," Burton says. "We point this out whenever we're advocating for new bike lanes."

That philosophy is showing up in project design. A new protected lane connecting WeHo with Beverly Hills is being designed to match the green lane treatment already in place on the Beverly Hills side. Plus, virtually every existing and planned WeHo bike lane connects to a corresponding lane in Los Angeles.

This is foundational to how we think about bike networks at PeopleForBikes: a great lane that ends at a city boundary isn't nearly as useful as one that takes you where you need to go. West Hollywood gets that.

What's Coming: Greenways, Road Diets, and the Olympics

West Hollywood has a pipeline of projects that will define how its City Ratings score moves over the next few years.

The Fountain Avenue Streetscape Project is the most ambitious. The city approved a road diet on Fountain Avenue that reduces travel from two lanes to one in each direction to make room for protected bike lanes, wider sidewalks, and new landscaping. Phase 1 construction is anticipated for fall 2026.

The data behind the project is compelling: Of the almost 35,000 cars that travel along Fountain Avenue on a typical day, only 13,000 (36%) have an origin or destination in West Hollywood, meaning a majority of commuters are just passing through The road diet is designed to reclaim that street for the people who actually live there.

A greenway project on a collector street along the city's western edge will install traffic-calming infrastructure — median islands, traffic circles, and diverters — to slow vehicle speeds on a route widely used by cyclists. Critically, all traffic signals on the route will be upgraded to detect bicycles, eliminating the need for riders to dismount to trigger a pedestrian crossing signal. Burton calls that detail essential: "If you want to make it friendly to bicyclists, that matters."

The 2028 LA Olympics is adding urgency to the regional picture. West Hollywood is supporting a dedicated bus and bike lane along one of its major thoroughfares — part of a multi-city route — timed to be completed before the Games. A Beverly Hills connector lane is also in play. With millions of visitors expected and parking already near-impossible in the area, moving people without cars isn't just a policy goal, it's a practical necessity.

Burton has spent years working the levers of local government, and he has actionable advice for advocates trying to move their own city councils in the right direction.

Frame biking as part of a transportation system, not a standalone mode. The argument that resonates, Burton says, is the first- and last-mile problem: most people will never bike exclusively, but millions would bike more if it connected reliably to transit. In Los Angeles, every bus has a rack on the front. Every light rail and subway car allows bikes. Full-size commuter rail even has dedicated bike storage cars. "The thinking should be broader than just bicycling," Burton says. "It's transportation."

Show up where decisions are made. Before WeHoBYCO existed, there was no organized voice for biking at city meetings. Showing up consistently — commenting on projects, asking questions, building relationships with supportive council members — is what moved the needle. "Before us, there wasn't any organized effort to do that," Burton says.

Engage in elections. Bike-friendly policy requires bike-friendly leaders. WeHoBYCO, as a 501(c)(3), can educate voters about candidates' positions without endorsing them. Other advocacy organizations without that constraint can go further. Either way, Burton’s lesson is clear: "Support candidates who support bicycling and its connection to public transportation."

Take the hassle out of parking. In dense, visitor-heavy cities, a relatable pitch for biking is avoiding the frustrating search for a parking spot. "That's one of the great advantages of bicycling and public transportation: avoiding the continual battle to find parking places," Burton says. It's an argument that lands with drivers just as much as cyclists.

With a City Ratings score of 37 out of 100, West Hollywood still has real ground to cover. But the ingredients for sustained improvement are in place: a coalition that shows up, a council majority that's willing to act, a pipeline of concrete projects, and a strategic approach to connectivity that extends beyond city limits.

In a region better known for its freeways than its bike lanes, that kind of steady, systematic progress is exactly what’s going to make a difference for better biking.

Interested in improving biking in your community? Explore the 2026 City Ratings to see how your city scores — and what moves the needle.

What Other Cities Can Learn From West Hollywood’s Approach to Better Biking

Bentonville has long been known as one of America's premier biking destinations. Home to an extensive network of off-road trails, a thriving cycling culture, and a deep commitment to outdoor recreation, Bentonville — and the broader Northwest Arkansas region — are well established as a national hub for recreational riding.

Now, Bentonville is earning recognition for a different kind of investment in great biking.

In PeopleForBikes’ 2026 City Ratings, Bentonville earned a score of 50 — landing itself as the highest-scoring city in Arkansas and among the top 6% of medium-sized cities nationwide. More importantly, the score reflects a community where a growing number of residents can safely and easily reach everyday destinations using a connected, low-stress bike network.

For PeopleForBikes, a score of 50 represents an important milestone and tipping point. It signals that biking is becoming a practical transportation option for a meaningful share of residents — not just a recreational activity.

Bentonville's success did not happen overnight.

The city's early investments in mountain biking and soft-surface trails helped create a strong biking culture and put Bentonville on the map as a recreational riding destination. But as the community grew, so did its ambitions.

The focus shifted from simply creating great places to ride to creating an environment that enables people to ride more often in their daily lives. City leaders, planners, advocates, and residents began building a network that safely connected neighborhoods to schools, businesses, parks, and other everyday destinations.

That long-term commitment is reflected in Bentonville's steady rise in City Ratings. In 2018, Bentonville earned a score of 27. Today's impressive score of 50 shows what can happen when a community rallies behind a plan and sticks with it.

One of the biggest drivers behind Bentonville's progress has been a commitment to connectivity. Great trails matter — but truly great biking communities are built when people can safely and comfortably ride beyond the trailhead.

Over the past several years, Bentonville has focused on closing critical gaps between neighborhoods, downtown, schools, parks, employment centers, and its renowned trail system. Those connections have transformed individual facilities into a citywide transportation network.

More residents can leave home and reach destinations by bike, whether they are commuting to work, meeting friends, running errands, or heading out for a ride. Equally as important for an outdoor tourism destination like Bentonville, visitors can leave the car keys behind and easily access everything the city has to offer on two wheels.

The result of this dedicated investment in connectivity is a community where biking increasingly serves both daily transportation needs alongside great recreational opportunities.

At PeopleForBikes, we know the value of a connected bike network extends far beyond getting people where they need to go.

When more people ride, more people spend time outdoors. More neighbors see one another on streets, trails, and shared spaces. Local businesses benefit from increased activity, and residents gain new opportunities to engage with their community.

Biking helps people experience their city at a human scale. It encourages chance encounters, stronger neighborhood connections, and a greater sense of belonging.

Bentonville’s City Ratings score of 50 is an important milestone — but the real achievement is what it represents: a more connected community.

As Bentonville continues to close gaps and expand its bike network, more residents will have opportunities to get outside, support local businesses, and connect with the people and places that make the city unique.

PeopleForBikes’ 2026 City Ratings evaluates 3,019 U.S. cities on how well their bike networks connect people to everyday destinations. Learn more and see how your city scores at cityratings.peopleforbikes.org.

Bentonville Built a Bike Town, Now It's Building a Bike Network

Home to nearly 90 miles of trails and more than 260 miles of bikeways, Minneapolis has built one of the country's most connected bike networks, making it easy for residents to reach everyday destinations without getting behind the wheel.

For those of us who call the Heartland home, the PeopleForBikes’ 2026 City Ratings tell a familiar story.

Our communities might not have the largest populations, the biggest transportation budgets, or the highest density. But year after year, cities across the middle of the country keep proving that great places for biking can be built anywhere.

This year's results are especially meaningful because PeopleForBikes introduced a more rigorous methodology — one that places a greater emphasis on network quality, connectivity, and access to destinations. For the Heartland, the results are encouraging.

The Heartland includes Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin.

Connectivity Is Becoming the Heartland's Strength

The highest-performing cities aren't simply building more trails or adding more bike lanes. They're creating networks that link neighborhoods to schools, downtowns to business districts, and homes to everyday destinations — making it safer and easier for people to choose a bike for short trips, daily errands, and commuting.

A City Ratings score of 50 represents an important milestone. Communities that reach this threshold have built networks that allow a meaningful share of residents to comfortably access daily destinations by bike — not through standout projects, but through a connected system that works together.

This year's methodology updates make that benchmark even more significant. Top-scoring communities are earning it under a framework that more accurately reflects the quality and usefulness of their networks.

One of this year's most exciting stories comes from Northwest Arkansas. Bentonville reached a City Ratings score of 50 for the first time, reflecting years of investment in connecting neighborhoods, schools, and business districts. Fayetteville followed closely at 49, and Bella Vista climbed the charts as well moving up from 44 in 2025 to 49 in 2026.

Together, these communities illustrate a broader regional trend: cities are moving beyond recreation and focusing on how biking can support everyday life — giving residents more transportation choices, greater access to opportunity, and stronger ties to their communities.

From North Dakota to Louisiana, communities throughout the Heartland are proving that connected transportation networks are built through dedicated local leadership, long-term vision, and a commitment to making communities safer for the people who live there. Those investments strengthen local economies, support healthier lifestyles, and make communities more desirable to live, work, visit, and play.

The Heartland has always excelled at coming together and building the kind of places we want for our families. Increasingly, that includes connected communities where more people can safely and easily choose to get around by bike.

Heartland Communities Continue to Raise the Bar for Better Biking

Topics

Bike Networks