How PeopleForBikes Supports U.S. Bike Infrastructure and Bicycling Policy

PeopleForBikes works to make the U.S. "the best place in the world to ride a bike" through three stated pillars: Infrastructure, Policy, and Participation. On infrastructure, it invests in communities through The Great Bike Infrastructure Project and measures bike networks via City Ratings and Bicycle Network Analysis. On policy, it helps cities, states, and federal legislators plan for, incentivize, and regulate e-bikes, among other issues. This overview is for riders, advocates, and local officials who want to understand what the organization actually does before engaging with its programs or data.

Infrastructure: Building and Measuring Better Places to Ride

The organization describes its infrastructure work as accelerating "the construction of safe, fun, and connected places to ride." Three programs carry most of that work:

The Great Bike Infrastructure Project

This project invests in communities across the U.S. to create safer and more connected places to bike for people of all ages and abilities. It is the clearest example of direct community investment described on the site.

City Ratings

Each year, PeopleForBikes ranks more than 3,000 cities in the U.S. and internationally on the quality and connectivity of their bike networks. Cities receive a score on a 0–100 scale, and the program tracks scores and progress over time. If you want to know how your own city compares, this is the entry point — the site invites visitors to "find out how your city scores today."

Bicycle Network Analysis (BNA)

The BNA measures how easy it is to get around by bicycle in cities nationwide and includes a comprehensive inventory of U.S. bike infrastructure. In practice, this is the underlying data layer that supports network-level assessment rather than a single city grade.

The Final Mile

In 2022, PeopleForBikes set out to accelerate construction of safe and complete bicycle networks in five U.S. cities. The Final Mile, a partnership between Wend Collective and PeopleForBikes, achieved that goal, according to the organization. The site highlights the effort in a piece titled "The Future of Mobility — Five Cities Paving the Way."

Policy: E-Bikes as the Lead Example

The policy pillar addresses how rules and incentives shape riding. The site's featured policy topic is electric bicycles: more than 12 million e-bikes are expected to be sold between 2020 and 2030, and to address that changing landscape, PeopleForBikes helps cities, states, and federal legislators plan for, incentivize, and regulate e-bikes.

That three-part framing is useful if you are working on local rules: it signals the organization engages both on encouraging e-bike use and on the regulatory questions that come with it. The site's policy section is organized around such topics, with the e-bike material presented first.

Research, Data, and Resources

Beyond programs, PeopleForBikes publishes material for the bike industry and advocates:

• Research + Data — academic research and reports focused on specific topics affecting the bike industry.
• Resource Marketplace — described as the bicycle industry's leading authority on market intelligence, with browsable resources.

These are the places to look if you need evidence for a local advocacy case or industry context rather than program details.

How the Pieces Fit Together

The logic is sequential: measure networks (BNA, City Ratings), invest in building them (Great Bike Infrastructure Project, The Final Mile), and shape the rules and demand around them (Policy, Participation).

Practical Notes Before You Engage

• Membership and login exist. The site includes an "Access Your Membership" login and a Donate option, so some engagement runs through membership. The available material does not state prices or which content sits behind login — check the membership page directly rather than assuming open access.
• City scores are the fastest self-service check. If your goal is a local comparison, City Ratings gives a 0–100 score and year-over-year tracking for your city.
• For e-bike rulemaking, the policy section is the relevant starting point; the site frames the organization's role as helping legislators plan, incentivize, and regulate.
• For industry or advocacy evidence, go to Research + Data or the Resource Marketplace rather than the program pages.

In short, PeopleForBikes supports infrastructure through direct community investment and public measurement, and supports policy through legislator-facing work on topics like e-bikes — with research and market resources layered on top for advocates and the industry.