This month, we connected with League Cycling Instructor Marjon Manitius, founder and board member of the Brookhaven Bike Alliance in Brookhaven, Georgia. Marjon grew up in the Netherlands, where biking is a big part of everyday life, and she brings that perspective to her work in Metro Atlanta. Whether she’s organizing community events like Pedal the Parks or teaching brand-new riders through her Learn to Ride business, Marjon is sparking a love for biking that’s changing how her community moves and connects. In this spotlight, she shares how her journey from everyday Dutch cyclist to local bike educator began, and what keeps her inspired.

Tell us a little about yourself and why you enjoy teaching bike education.

I was practically born on a bicycle, because, well, I’m Dutch. In the Netherlands, biking isn’t just a way to get around; it’s a way of life. Kids ride to school, to the store, to their friends’ houses, it’s part of growing up. And maybe it’s no coincidence that Dutch children are among the happiest in the world (having the freedom to bike and eat chocolate sprinkles for breakfast certainly helps!).

When I moved to the U.S., I was surprised by how disconnected biking felt from everyday life. I wanted my own children to grow up with the same sense of freedom and independence I had, so I started looking for ways to help shift the culture around cycling in my community. That led me to co-found the Brookhaven Bike Alliance and grow Pedal the Parks into one of our most loved local events.

As a League Cycling Instructor, I love teaching bike education because I see the difference it makes, especially for those just discovering the joy and confidence that riding a bike can bring. Whether it’s a child taking their first solo ride or an adult learning to navigate city streets, helping others gain that freedom on two wheels is deeply rewarding.

What first motivated you to become an LCI?

If you’re in the Brookhaven, Georgia area and interested in lessons, feel free to reach out at marjon.manitius@gmail.com.

What has been your greatest reward in teaching bike education?

On the advocacy side, the greatest reward has been witnessing the shift, seeing city leaders begin to treat biking as a serious part of our transportation future. It’s slow, but it’s happening.

On the teaching side, nothing compares to the moment a child realizes they’re riding on their own. The mix of surprise, pride, and pure joy on their face. It’s like watching confidence come to life in real time.

What is your best piece of advice for an LCI who wants to teach a class but isn’t sure how to get started?

Don’t overthink it, just start. You’ve got all the tools from your training, and the best way to build confidence is to put them into practice. Start small: teach a friend, host a mini skills session, or partner with a local event. Every class gets easier, and every rider you help makes it worth it.

What is something you think that all LCIs should know about teaching bike education?

When teaching beginners, patience is key. Take the time to connect with each rider, not just about biking, but about their interests and what motivates them. Using that connection to gently distract from fear helps ease anxiety and builds confidence. A little patience and understanding can truly transform the learning experience.

Give us an interesting or funny fact about you.

When I was six, my clog flew right off my foot and got caught in my bike’s front wheel. That caused me to do a full 360 spin, but somehow I landed perfectly straight, with not a single scratch. Looks like I had some early biking skills!

What is your favorite thing about being on a bike?

My favorite thing about being on a bike is how it brings so much at once, it’s relaxing, great exercise, good for the environment, and fast enough to get where you need to go but slow enough to really enjoy your surroundings. It’s a simple way to connect with both your body and your community.

What is your favorite memory from being on a bike?

The post LCI Spotlight: Marjon Manitius appeared first on League of American Bicyclists.

Start with the bike plan.
Many local bike plans include a section near the end that describes funding programs that your community can use for bike projects. Look for a list of priority projects or action items that have a price tag attached—these clues can lead you toward other key documents that show how your city is (or isn’t) investing in active transportation. Check out our recent “How to Get Wonky in Your Local Bike Advocacy” blog for resources and tips for researching bike plans.

Check the city budget.
Most cities adopt an annual budget and make it publicly available. Bike-related projects are often found under departments like Transportation or Public Works. Look for specific line items or performance measures: your city might have a goal for the number of pothole requests responded to, miles of bike lanes striped per year, or the number of ADA-compliant ramp installations. These performance measures tell you what your city is tracking and what it’s willing to fund.

Look into the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP).
Cities often have Capital Improvement Plans as part of their budget, but it might also be a separate document. If your community is within the reach of a metropolitan planning organization (MPO), then you may also want to check the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), a document with a list of federally funded projects. Many TIPs include projects that will be funded more than four years in the future (sometimes called “out years”), and knowing those future projects can give you a longer-term view of what investments your community is prioritizing. 

Don’t overlook the repaving schedule.
Bike lanes and crosswalks are often added when roads are repaved. A multi-year repaving schedule can reveal where there’s an opportunity to improve streets—and give you time to advocate for bike-friendly designs before the work begins. If you can’t find a repaving plan, then it’s possible that your community either doesn’t publish one or doesn’t have a multi-year schedule for repaving — i.e, they repave based on requests they get from citizens. A multi-year schedule for repaving can be a big improvement over request-based repaving, because it’s more likely to be driven by objective data. Multi-year schedules can also reduce costs when coordinated with other city services like stormwater, electricity, or other projects, including bike lane striping!

Not sure what you’re looking at? Ask!
Budgets can be intimidating, and not every document is user-friendly. If you get stuck, reach out to a city staffer in the relevant department and ask for help understanding where to look for bike-related projects. City staff are often happy to support residents who want to engage more deeply in the process. Getting connected can also help — your local bicycling, walking, or active transportation advocacy group might have folks willing to roll up their sleeves and dig into the wonkiness along with you. 

Keep track of what you find.
Whether you’re copying links into a spreadsheet or jotting down notes in a shared doc, staying organized will help you keep momentum over time and make it easier to share information with others in your community.

Learn who makes the budget and when.
Who makes the city budget might depend on the form of city government you have. The mayor, city council, and city manager can all be the most important people to influence. Once you understand where the power of the purse lies, you should also look at when the budget is drafted, if committees are involved, and the process. Showing up at the public meeting where the budget is approved is likely too late to make your case for your priorities. The real decisions may come months before during city council work sessions, private meetings amongst city staff and the city manager, or through another process. Knowing when to advocate and who to advocate to is a big part of effectively influencing the budget.

Why it matters:
Getting familiar with your local budget might not sound like the most exciting part of bike advocacy, but it’s one of the most powerful. Knowing how and where your city allocates funding gives you the insight to show up with informed questions, data-informed proposals, and a better sense of timing.

At the end of the day, if we want to see real investment in better biking infrastructure, we have to pay attention to what our communities are actually investing in. The future of biking isn’t just shaped by big ideas—it’s built line by line in the budget.

The post Budgeting for Better Bike Infrastructure: How to Follow the Money appeared first on League of American Bicyclists.

The persistence and perception of speeding can overlook the reality that most people intend to follow the speed limit. Research shows that a minority of people, estimated to be between 12, 14 or 30 percent of drivers, are frequent speeders who tend to speed more often, at higher speeds, and with active disdain for speed limits.

In New York City, their speed camera program provides data that shows an even smaller subset of frequent speeders, with only 1.5% of vehicles receiving 6 or more speed camera tickets in a year, yet they’re involved in over 20% of pedestrian deaths in New York City. 

The League of American Bicyclists believes that Slow Roads Save Lives, and that the United States should tackle its persistent and pervasive unsafe speeds through comprehensive action to redesign streets and reset speed limits for safety. To do this will require finding actions we can take to move issues forward and de-normalize speeding. 

In recent years, one promising action is to target the subset of people who are frequent speeders and use technology to reduce their speeding. Just as we allow judges to require the installation of interlock devices for drivers who are convicted of driving while intoxicated, several states have now allowed judges to require the installation of intelligent speed assistance devices for drivers convicted of certain repeat or reckless speeding offenses. Starting in 2024, Washington, DC; Virginia; and Washington state have enacted laws providing for the use of this technology as part of sentencing for speeding-related offenses, thanks in part to a campaign by Families for Safe Streets who is also supporting the legislation in New York.

Intelligent speed assistance is a tool that helps people drive the speed limit — something that most of us intend to do. It is required on new vehicles in the European Union and has been recommended by the National Transportation Safety Board in the US. Data from trials with municipal vehicles show strong reductions in speeding and acceptance by drivers. A recent survey from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that a majority of drivers would accept intelligent speed assistance in their vehicle.

Allowing judges to require the installation of this technology in the vehicles of the worst speeders should be a first step towards the widespread benefits of slower speeds. Please join Families for Safe Streets, Transportation Alternatives, and the League of American Bicyclists in the #StopSuperSpeeders week of action on June 2-6!

The post It’s Time to Stop Super Speeders appeared first on League of American Bicyclists.

As we roll closer to the end of Bike Month, we wanted to demystify the behind-the-scenes local work that makes biking better — and show how you can be a part of it!

If you’ve ever tried to get involved with local planning efforts for better biking, you might’ve been initially taken aback by all the jargon and acronyms flying around. (Anyone hungry for alphabet soup?) Planning and policy language can indeed sound intimidating and feel inaccessible to those of us out of the loop, but all it takes to get started is a heaping dose of curiosity, a little time, and the confidence to ask questions.  Getting wonky is really about showing up — and learning as you go!

There’s also some good news: you don’t have to be an expert to influence how your community supports biking. And if you don’t want to get wonky, you can absolutely still be an effective and changemaking bike advocate.

Step 1: Get Connected (or Step Up to Lead) in Your Community

Find a local bike or transportation advocacy group and see what they’re working on. They might already have a plan of action you can join. Check out our Local Resources map for organizations near you (though not an exhaustive list, it’s a good starting point). You can also run “(insert your town name here) Bicycle Advisory Committee” through your favorite search engine and see what comes up.

• In some communities, Facebook and Instagram are pretty crucial for bike-related communications. Check out your local social media scene to see if there’s action there. Bluesky is another up-and-coming platform for advocates. 
• Also, signing up for email lists or newsletters from your city, county, state DOT, transit provider, or metropolitan planning organization (MPO) can all be great ways to stay on top of things. 

If there’s not a lot of action in your community, that’s okay! Every advocacy group has to start somewhere. There may be folks near you who are interested in this topic, but they just don’t have the time, capacity, or willpower to drive it. 

If you personally have the capacity and determination to get things moving locally, here’s your sign to take ownership of that role. Don’t give in to imposter syndrome and give up before you start — take confidence in knowing that if you’ve biked, walked, or navigated in the community you live in, that counts as valuable local expertise.

This post is about getting wonky, but if that’s not your style, you can still be an incredible bike advocate. Think about what you love about biking and what you want to share with your community. Organizing a ride, holding up a sign to draw attention to an issue, or simply sharing your experiences with local media or social media are all important parts of advocating for better biking. Do what makes you happy and gives you energy for advocacy, or at least do enough of that so that you have the energy to slog through some acronyms.

Step 2: Assess Your Community’s Progress

There are a number of ways to get started. 

Is your community a Bicycle Friendly Community?
Check our map to find out if your community has been awarded a BFC designation from the League. If so, the BFC report card is a great place to find out our recommendations for what the community could do better (and see how far it may have come.) 

Have a favorite bike lane?
Work backwards and find out how the bike facility you use the most was built, or how the trail system in your area was funded. By researching successful projects, you’ll discover the process that works when considering new bike facilities to build. 

See other riders?
Connect with other people who bike in your area to find out their thoughts on roads that could be safer, bike lanes that end, or networks that could be improved. 

Ready to get wonky? Start by checking whether your city or region has a bicycle plan or a transportation plan — many communities publish these online. These plans can give you a sense of how your local government thinks about biking and whether or not they’re taking steps to improve it. 

• Here are a few resources and tips for researching bike plans:
  • State: Plans & Policies (newly updated!)
  • City: Plans & Policies
  • Or use your favorite search engine to look it up!
    • Tip: You may want to experiment with different search terms and special characters. Look for links from sites ending in .gov to make sure you’re finding accurate information, and double-check publish dates so that you’re not referencing outdated info. 
  • If you live in an area covered by a Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), you may find additional bike and pedestrian planning documents or funding sources on their website.

Once you’ve found your city or region’s plan, look for goals related to biking and walking, see if specific projects are mentioned, and check whether there’s a timeline for making them happen. Even just skimming the plan can give you a better understanding of where things stand and what’s missing. Take note of how the plan discusses improvements, how it prioritizes investments, and who was involved in the planning process to identify people, commissions, or groups to follow-up with and how they might discuss improvements you’re interested in.

Step 3: Speak Up

Once you’ve done your research, speaking up and showing up is the next step that you can take. Once you’ve found a project, plan, or gap that needs attention:

• Send a message to your city council representative.
  • Email is the easiest and your local government should have all your representatives’ contact information on their website.  
  • Social media is another potential way to reach out to local decision makers, but your message may get lost in the shuffle.
  • Phone calls are still a great option! 
  • Show up to the public comment period at a council or commission meeting.  
• Consider pairing your message with the results of a bike audit or bike count, or any other local data you can use to back up your ask. Photos can be helpful, so don’t forget to snap a few while you’re out observing the issue at hand.
  • Learn more about Making Bikes Count with Bike Counts 
  • Use a tool like Streetmix to show your ideas about a street reconfiguration in an approachable graphic
  • Consider getting a measuring wheel if you’re going to suggest street design changes, so that you can measure the street and understand how much space you’re working with. Our Policy Director Ken uses a collapsible one like this that fits in a frame bag.
• Ask questions like: “Can we add bike lanes to this upcoming project?” and follow up with data-based evidence, such as, “Bike lanes are an FHWA-proven safety countermeasure!”
• If you can’t get connected with local leaders, you can try elevating your story to local press:
  • Watch the Bike Advocacy Essentials Webinar: How to Write a Letter to the Editor
  • You may find some useful information about communicating for advocacy campaigns in this Winning Campaigns Training workbook.
• Finally — riding your bike can be a form of advocacy. By showing up on wheels, you’re representing cyclists and making your presence visible, which matters more than you may think.
  • If you know of a project happening, ride your bike there to check it out. If you see roads coming up on the repaving schedule, ride your bike there to see if you can suggest changes. If you’re unfamiliar with part of your city, ride your bike there to see what it’s like on the ground before reaching out to local groups there or suggesting changes.

The Wonky Bottom Line

Getting wonky isn’t about knowing everything — it’s about staying curious, connecting the dots, and showing up consistently to keep momentum going. When no one’s asking questions, planning spaces can become echo chambers filled with jargon and out-of-touch decisions that aren’t aligned with what the community wants/needs. 

The truth is: anyone can get wonky. You don’t need a degree, a dictionary of acronyms, or a collapsible measuring stick like Ken to be an advocate in your own right. Communities are better when people with diverse experiences help shape them — and your lived experience navigating your neighborhood is a powerful form of expertise. 

The post How to Get Wonky in Your Local Bike Advocacy (and Why You Should) appeared first on League of American Bicyclists.

We’ve all encountered our fair share of naysayers while advocating for a Bicycle Friendly America: “No one rides bikes,” “the bike lanes are always empty,” or “bike lanes are a waste of space.” As bicycle advocates, we know this is far from the truth, and it’s with data gathered through bike counts that we can prove people do ride bikes in our communities.

A bike count is a way to literally count the number of riders in a given location. There are many methods and reasons for conducting a bike count, and below we will explore a variety of options that you can use to help reach your ultimate goal — building the bike infrastructure and networks to accommodate the people who ride bikes in your community.

Types of Bike Counts

Manual vs. Automated

Manual counts are done by humans and require people to physically show up at a place to conduct counts — imagine a person with a clipboard on a street corner. Automated counts use a machine counter, usually embedded into the street/sidewalk surface or temporarily installed on top of it using tubes or another flexible material. Automated counts can also be collected through video technology, GPS trackers on bikes or riders’ phones, and other evolving technologies. 

Bike Counts Vs. Audits

A bike count is a way to measure ridership at a specific point on a street or intersection by getting the count of people biking there.

A bike audit evaluates an area, road, path, or intersection that takes note of the various aspects of concern or things that are working well for people on bikes. This blog is mainly centered on bike counts, but you’ll see resources relevant to bike audits as well. 

How to Conduct Manual Counts

What you need to do before a count:

1. Pick the location(s) to conduct your count(s)
   • If you or your organization plan to make bike counts happen regularly, it is important to pick locations that can be consistently tested over multiple years or iterations so that your data can tell a story over time. Doing so can justify an expansion of community bicycle improvements or help you understand where to focus efforts. While many factors make a location good for counting, the top three locations most people target to count are:
     • your busiest cycling locations, 
     • a place where ridership exists, but you want to gather more information,
     • or a place that doesn’t have any bike infrastructure but will soon, and you’d like to do a before-and-after comparison.
2. Decide on the time of day to do the count (morning, noon, or evening commutes are best for manual counts, while automated counts capture anyone at any time)
   • If you are using the count to make the case for bicycle infrastructure, consider what section and when the area in question is most used. Doing counts in the morning, noon, and/or evening commutes to get inbound and outbound traffic is useful to track the peak traffic times. Most counts take place over a two-hour period.
3. Find people to conduct the counts and assign them a time and location. Many communities form a volunteer count group and have the group split up into different intersection sites to cover more ground in less time. Consider offering training for your bike count volunteers, such as the Treasure Valley Cycling Alliance’s bike count program volunteer training.
4. Print or develop a place to record counts. The AARP Bike Audit Tool Kit worksheets, specifically the “Who’s Riding and Why,” are a good resource that you can download for free here.  Another great example is these count sheets from the Metropolitan Area Planning Council of Greater Boston.
5. Give people instructions on how to conduct counts. 

Other things to consider: 

• Safety & accessibility: The AARP Bike Audit Tool Kit includes a few helpful safety tips as well as a cycling streetscape vocabulary list. If your bike count evolves into a broader audit, having a shared vocabulary can help participants consistently identify street features and infrastructure types.
• Weather: Counts can take place regardless of weather, but not if the weather is putting you or others in danger. However, it is something to note in your records and should be a factor to consider when compiling and sharing data. 
• Date: In some situations, doing counts on the day of a cycling event like Bike to Work Day is a great time to count because you know many people will be coming from many places. Be strategic about the date & timing — the AARP Bike Audit Tool Kit recommends, “If the bike audit is being done because of concerns about the safety of particular groups — such as bike commuters, schoolchildren, workers, shoppers or retirees — conduct the audit when those people will be present.” The same is true for bike counts. 

During the count: 

• Make sure to arrive 15 minutes before the count to get set up. Suggested items to bring are a chair, clipboard, water/snack, writing utensil, and a timer.
• Decide before the count how you want to record people who are not on bikes, such as those on scooters, onewheels, or similar variations.
  • Note on multimodal counts: when applying for federal grants under the current administration (like the Safe Streets and Roads for All grant due June 26 at 5 PM ET), our Policy Director advises:
    • Proposals are most competitive when they include data on the movement of all people, not just bike counts. If possible, you’ll want to include road safety data for all users—bikes, cars, freight, pedestrians, etc, and show how projects affect the whole transportation system.
    • The current administration values data that shows multimodal impacts (freight, cars, bikes, pedestrians) and economic impacts (e.g., freight flow, sales tax revenue).
• Be accurate. The goal of a count is to have data reflective of ridership in your community, not to turn in high numbers.

How to Count

• Once the person who is counting is set up at the count location, decide where the screen line will be. Most people who are counting use a screen line as a frame of reference. A screen line is an imaginary line that the person who is counting mentally draws across the road.
• The person counting then counts those (bicyclists, pedestrians, etc.) who cross over the screen line in the allotted intervals in both directions. A good visual of a screen line can be found here.
• Some people choose to set up two screen lines when counting at an intersection. If this is the case, make sure that your counts are well-marked and the person counting can easily see both areas. 

After the count:

• Collect the data from everyone who did a count.
• Put the data into a usable format.
• Here are some examples from 2024 AARP Bike Audit Community Challenge Grantees:
  • Oaks and Spokes Bike Audit Report
  • The Partnership TMA of Montgomery County Audit Reports
  • Go Ottowa’s Bike Audit report
  • Yavapai County Community Health Service’s Bike Audit Report
• Share the data and look for a story that you can tell with it.
  • Another great example from Oaks and Spokes: 2024 AARP Community Challenge Grantee: Oaks and Spokes, Raleigh, North Carolina

How to Select Automated Count Devices

Many companies offer a variety of devices, including traffic cameras, to do counts, such as Eco-Counter, Street Light Data, Viva City Labs, and Dero. Many automated counters support pedestrian and bicycle counts and have a variety of display options that usually send data directly to an online data portal. When selecting a device, consider where it will be located, the type of information you want to collect, your budget, and the weather the device will face. Most counters can work in extreme heat and cold and can be embedded into the asphalt or attached to street poles, so street cleaning and snow removal can still happen.

Conclusion & More Resources

No matter why or how you decide to collect bike counts, it is an important part of the bike advocacy process. Having reliable, consistent data will help to tell a story, reflect what is actually going on in a community, and help to make informed decisions backed by data. 

For a deeper dive into more aspects of bike counts, check out these webinars:

• Webinar: Bikes Count on Campus: Using Data To Support Bicycle Friendly Universities
• Webinar: Lessons Learned From The 2022 ‘Bikes Count’ Data Competition Winners
• Webinar: Bikes Count in the Big Easy: A Snapshot of Cycling in New Orleans
• Webinar: Introducing the AARP Bike Audit Tool Kit
• Webinar: Stories from the Field: AARP Bike Audit Tool Kit in Action

Find more bike count resources for communities on our BFC resources page and for campuses on our BFU resources page. Download the FREE AARP Bike Audit Tool Kit and accompanying worksheets at https://bikeleague.org/aarp-bike-audit-tool-kit. 

The post Making Bikes Count With Bike Counts (or Audits) appeared first on League of American Bicyclists.

Bike parking is the infrastructure that we sometimes take for granted, but it is a critical deciding factor in helping more people choose to bike for functional, everyday trips. It’s something every business, university or college, and community should be striving to implement, improve, and maintain.

If you’re looking to add new bike parking, or upgrade some older racks – look no further! 

Over the years, we’ve shared many bike parking resources and best practices to make it easier for local advocates and decision makers to select and implement safe, secure, convenient, and accessible bike parking for everyone who wants to arrive at their destination by bike. Here is our round-up of some of the League’s favorite bike parking resources. 

What does good bike parking even look like?

If you want to get inspired about how good your bike parking can be, check out our Ode to Great Bike Parking, originally published in the League’s Winter 2022 magazine, American Bicyclist. 

What makes good bike parking great bike parking?

First, the basics: The APBP Bike Parking Guidelines provide the gold standard for what good bike parking entails. All of the Bicycle Friendly America applications reference APBP guidelines, and it is the standard we expect every city, business, and campus to use when selecting and installing bike parking. The free version of the guide includes all the most important criteria for secure bike parking, while a longer paid version goes into more detail about bike parking capacity, etc. 

We have partnered with Platinum-level Bicycle Friendly Business Dero on several explanatory webinars over the last few years, including one on short-term bike parking (anything under two hours), one on long-term bike parking (two hours or more), and a highlight of Allina Health’s new Bike Commuter Center in Minneapolis, MN.

Dero also has a fantastic video library, resource library, design guides, and our favorite pocket-sized bike parking guide. 

If you’re in a campus setting (corporate or academic), Dero also has some great resources about bike parking for campuses (plus a Campus Bike Program Guide!) and you might also want to check out the campus bike parking solutions resources from another Bicycle Friendly Business in the bike parking industry, Ground Control Systems.

What about safe storage and charging for electric bikes and e-micromobility? 

More and more, the safe storage and charging of e-bikes is an important consideration, especially for any longer-term bike parking such as in office buildings, residential buildings, campus dorms, etc. 

Once again we have some great resources from our friends in the bike parking industry: Dero’s E-bike Accommodation Guide for Architects and Property Owners and Sportworks’ resources on E-Bike Parking in Higher Education and Beyond.  Finally, the League has partnered with  UL Standards & Engagement to produce a 2025 Report on E-Bikes on College & University Campuses.

Cities, campuses, and property managers are also starting to think about scooter and other micromobility parking needs as well, particularly with the increase of shared micromobility in many cities. 

How can I make bike parking more accessible?

It is essential to make sure that good bike parking is as convenient and accessible to everyone as possible. That means ensuring racks can accommodate all sizes and styles of bikes, including adaptive bikes, cargo bikes, and again, e-bikes that might need to charge up.  Spacing between racks, rack type, and ramps/doors leading to bike parking make a huge difference in how accessible it is. 

2025 Update: Our Bike Parking Best Practices Map now has a category filter to find bike parking policies and design guidelines that specify accommodation requirements for adaptive cycles, cargo bikes, and other non-standard sized bikes. 

Another accessibility consideration is how easy and intuitive it is to locate your bike parking, and so we strongly encourage businesses to advertise their bike parking. Particularly if you’re a customer-focused business, make sure the exact location of your guest bike parking is included on the ‘Location’ or ‘Contact Us’ page of your website so newcomers can plan ahead and know what to expect when they arrive on bike. (This really might make the difference between someone choosing to bike to your destination or not!)

How do you make sure your community has high standards for plentiful, secure, and convenient bike parking?

First, make sure there are policies and plans in place to support high-quality bike parking. 

If you’re working with your municipality or metropolitan planning organization (MPO) to improve bike parking in your community, encourage them to adopt an ordinance requiring bike parking at all new and existing developments, as well as design guidelines to ensure the proper quantity and quality is provided. Check out this model bicycle parking ordinance from Change Lab Solutions, as well as some of the local examples of policies, design guides, and related programs from real Bicycle Friendly Communities by exploring the Bike Parking Best Practices map below.

Note this map has been updated with many new examples in 2025! If you have a resource or link that should be added to the map, please email suggestions to bfa@bikeleague.org. 

A note on public vs. private space

Not all sidewalks, parking lots, or businesses are owned or operated by the city or municipality. When considering or requesting a bike rack in a certain location, it is usually up to the property owner to install and maintain the rack, though they may be able to request assistance from the city through programs like the examples above. You can usually find out who owns the area in question by asking the business owner or looking it up on a city’s website. Most private businesses like a grocery store are not owned by the city and so you will have to work with the store’s owner to get a bike rack(s) installed.

If requesting a bike rack to be installed on city-owned property, outside of a business, it is common courtesy to notify the nearby businesses that a rack is getting installed and you can even have a conversation about the best location for it.

How do cities pay for bike parking? 

• Most cities use general funds to pay for public bike parking, or rely on public-private partnerships or cost sharing with local businesses and institutions. 
• Find a list of all the U.S. DOT grants that can fund bicycle parking (and many other bike infrastructure and programming categories!)

Looking to justify the expense of new bike parking, whether for a local business or your city or town’s general budget? Check out these studies that show the value of bike parking: 

• Reconnecting to the New Majority – Secure bike parking is highly valued — most groups identified it as the second most important intervention for better biking. 
• Bicycling Benefits Business – Bike-accessible businesses, like Bicycle Friendly Businesses, experience economic benefits by catering to these customers.
• The Power of Bicycle Parking – a report from Transportation Alternatives out of New York City to support increasing the quantity, quality, and visibility of bike parking. After all, access to secure bicycle parking is the number two reason determining whether someone chooses to ride a bike or not.
• With bike theft on the rise in many cities over the past several years, one of the best arguments for investing in better bike parking is to help deter bike theft. For an academic argument on the topic, see Bicycle parking security and built environments – a journal article that examines the association between the built environment and bike theft as an issue that discourages bicycling.

The post Roundup of Bike Parking Resources appeared first on League of American Bicyclists.

While developing the quiz, I’ve taken it at least two dozen times. Usually, it tells me I’m a beach cruiser, which is pretty spot-on — I prefer easy breezy routes over the challenge of climbing hills, I have a sunny disposition, and my riding pace is on par with your average turtle. (Go turtles!) 

Of course, I’m not the only type of rider, which is why we built out the quiz for a range of bikes, riding styles, and personalities. Disclaimer: It’s not a comprehensive list because frankly, that’s impossible. The bike movement is so expansive, a stunning kaleidoscope of people and the wheels that transport them: recreational roadies, downhill fanatics who only ride the gnarliest trails, adaptive cyclists, tentative commuters, delivery cyclists carting a pile of hot pies, alley cat stans, e-cargo bike parents with younglings in tow, teenage NICA racers, your great Aunt Sally who just learned how to ride last week and is LOVING IT — the list goes on and on (and on).

And just as this quiz isn’t an exhaustive list of bikes, it’s also not intended to recommend what type of bike you should buy. I myself don’t own a beach cruiser, and I don’t plan to buy one (at the moment), but I can appreciate that I bring a certain “beach cruiser” vibe to the group ride. 

Your result is meant to be fun and a bit silly — but if you’re looking for more informative resources on choosing a bike and learning how to ride it safely and confidently, take a look at these links:

• AARP’s guide to Different Bikes for Different Cyclists
• Watch our “How to Choose a Bike” video 
• Visit our Learning Center for free cycling education courses, including Bicycle Friendly Driver training, E-Bike Smart, and how to teach your kids to ride 

So with that in mind, take the quiz and let us know — did your answer feel accurate, or do you see yourself as a different kind of bike?

Whether you’re a super speedy road machine or a fun-loving tandem type, we hope this quiz gives you a smile — and maybe even reminds you of what you love most about biking. Don’t forget to share your result with your friends and challenge them to find out their bike alter ego, too! Use #WhatBikeAreYou and let the bike nerdery commence. Happy #BikeMonth, y’all! 

The post What Kind of Bike Are You? Take Our Quiz and Find Out! appeared first on League of American Bicyclists.

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to represent the League of American Bicyclists at Bike Expo New York in support the Five Boro Bike Tour.

The Five Boro Bike Tour is an incredible event where roughly 32,000 bicyclists get to experience all five boroughs of New York City without cars. It is the major event for Bike New York – home to Rich Conroy, the 2018 Gail and Jim Spann Educator of the Year, and Ken Podziba, former Chair of the League’s Board of Directors and current Director Emeritus.

It was great to meet hundreds of people over two days who were excited to ride through New York City in streets free of motor vehicles.

In honor of the car-free nature of the event, the entirety of my over 225-mile journey from the League’s office in Washington, DC to the Expo in Red Hook, Brooklyn, New York was made by bike and train.

This quick photo journal shows how I made the trip to NYC and back car-free:

At the League office – loaded up with everything needed for our booth at Bike Expo New York.

On Amtrak. Many routes now allow you to take bikes on board without using a bike box. For this train, the Vermonter, there were eight bike spots available with one bike that could be hung up per train car.

Arriving at Bike Expo New York after the 8.5-mile journey from Penn Station.

Pro-tip: Use the Manhattan Bridge to avoid crowds.

Strava route map – because I knew I wanted these miles counted for the National Bike Challenge!

The League booth – all set up and ready to go for Bike Expo New York! We had about ten volunteers come out and help support the booth.

Thank you to Karin Weisburgh (a League Board member), Lois Joyce, Claire Modas, Lee Uehara, Stephen Greenberg, Stave Dedalto, Boris Leonardini, and Brent Knudson who volunteered their time to help at the booth!

Glamour shot after dropping off the booth and leaving the trailer. Thank you to Bike New York and everyone who took part in the Five Boro Bike Tour!

Unfortunately, I didn’t get pictures of my trip back — with a much lighter trailer. I had a great time talking to people about the League of American Bicyclists and we got some great support from our volunteers and visitors to the Expo!

For more information about train travel by bike, explore the following resources and stories:

Amtrak / Bring Your Bike Onboard

Amtrak / Amtrak Expands Carry-on Bike Program

Adventure Cycling / How to Travel with Your Bike on Amtrak

Adventure Cycling / Interactive Network Map

League of American Bicyclists / Welcoming Bikes on Trains

East Coast Greenway / Train-ing ride: River Relay Cyclists Navigate Amtrak and Rail with Bikes

Bike Coalition of Philadelphia / I Took My Bike on Amtrak

Streetsblog / Amtrak Allows Bikes on More Trains Throughout New England

Streetsblog / Opinion: Amtrak’s Patchwork Policies Could be Deterring the Most-Obvious Riders — Cyclists

bikabout / Take your Bike on Amtrak

Bike the Katy Trail / Riding Amtrak Along the Katy Trail

Why We Ride / Biking by Train: A Week in the Pacific Northwest

Bikecentennial Route 76 / A History of Bikes & Trains in Virginia

The post Bike/Train Travelogue: Car-Free at Bike Expo New York appeared first on League of American Bicyclists.

The latest movement started by post-secondary students has an unorthodox approach: on-campus bicycle programs, offering DIY repair space, repair services, or bike rentals. Imagine a dedicated space on campus that is open to students in the afternoon with a free set of tools to crank on bicycles together. Imagine dedicated bicycle rentals for students to borrow for a week or a semester, with a set of free DIY tools located at the rental station. Many campuses now have vibrant, bicycle-centered spaces that build community while encouraging students to get out and ride.

Campus bike projects create connections

As culture wars and diversity of opinion have become more polarizing, some young people have turned to bicycling groups to kindle meaningful friendships amid exams, school schedules, practicums, and more. Others discover on-campus bicycling groups when they see a group of their peers cycling down a campus roadway, smiling, and having fun. 

At first, bicycle repair seems very niche. But when taking into account the larger picture of the college student experience, bicycle repair makes a lot of sense. College campuses are often designed to prioritize walkability and facilitate easy access to classes, libraries, food, and other amenities. This is why bicycling has been able to satisfy the needs of students who have a desire to renew their connection with nature, get across campus in a short amount of time, or find new social groups. It’s also a way to explore off-campus options in a more convenient way and provides autonomy. 

We found several examples of student-initiated movements, ranging from some that had been around for 10 years or more to those that had just started this year, in 2025. 

Meet the students who keep the wheels turning

Meet Allan of Brandeis University, Kenedy and Hosea from Tartan Bike Project, and McTzviel of Orange Bike Project.

Allan on the left, Hosea and Kenedy in the middle, and McTzviel on the right

Tartan Bike Project is a new initiative currently being led by Kenedy and Hosea, working closely with administrative staff at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to bring their first-ever student-led bicycle project to life. For Brandeis University out of Waltham, Massachusetts, Allan F. has initiated the soon-to-be bicycle library, Brandeis Bikes, a reincarnation of the old DeisBikes that used to exist at the school. Lastly, Orange Bike Project of Austin, Texas, a student-led bicycle repair shop, has been running since 2008. It is fully operational with afternoon hours, and some of the original alumni are still hanging around. 

Each project was a student-initiated endeavor that sought to do the same thing: connect students on campus with reliable bicycle resources and a tool to access off-campus activities. 

How to start a college bike project

“Be stubborn, know what you want, and have a good idea of what that looks like,” said Kenedy when we asked what it takes to start a college bike project. Although the Tartan Bike Project is the newest, it has helpful experience to share. Kenedy used to attend the University of Texas, where she was introduced to the Orange Bike Project after she got a bike. When Kenedy got to Pittsburgh, she met Hosea, who helped her raise over $20,000 to start the Tartan Bike Project and advocated beyond that for space on campus to be allocated for a bike shop similar to the one run by the Orange Bike Project in Texas.

The Orange Bike Project has been on the UT campus for many years, consistently serving students. “The project gives a lot, but the project also takes a lot — so have resiliency and patience” was McTzviel’s advice to anyone wanting to start a similar endeavor, emphasizing the logistics involved with sustaining a long-term initiative. 

Allan F. shared a similar lesson after Brandeis University rejected his initial proposal late last year: “It showed me where the gaps were and how to strengthen the proposal,” he said. Creating a bike project is a different kind of academic endurance that requires a strong sense of purpose, a clear vision, and a willingness to adapt. 

Essentials to start a College Bicycle program with Tatiana from Georgia Tech

Hear from Tatiana, former president of Starter Bikes at a Bicycle Friendly University, as she breaks down the essential resources you need to start or sustain a bike program on your campus. From sourcing tools and parts to securing space and allies, she’ll share practical tips and lessons learned from running a thriving student-led bike shop at Georgia Tech. Perfect for anyone looking to jump-start campus cycling programs or level up what’s already rolling. Sign up here »

Know Your Whys

Each bike project leader said it’s worth the effort to create these social groups because they live on even after the founders graduate. McTzviel joked that, “Sometimes you have to remind yourself that you are there for school,” not just hanging out with friends and creating a physical space for students to gather and work on bicycles. 

A bicycle repair location is a hub for student engagement around an essential service students need.

For students like Allan, Hosea, Kenedy, and McTzviel, spending time working on their bike projects was the equivalent of a real-world practicum. It gave them the opportunity to leave a lasting mark and serve the needs of future students. They gained lots of skills that are relevant to the post-college world, like writing proposals, time management, building a team, working as a team, and project management. It was a crash course on entrepreneurship and business management. 

Student leaders looking to start a bike project usually need some inspiration. They can turn to the Youth-Bike Hub (YB Hub), another youth-led initiative, started by the National Youth Bike Council. YB Hub aims to create a more collaborative, environmentally sustainable, and connected world by empowering bicycle projects for or started by youth. The YB Hub is a newsletter that lifts up youth-bike initiatives happening around the country and leads quarterly calls between these groups. It’s a great way to connect with bike projects on different college campuses. Join the YB Hub newsletter if you are interested in starting or hearing from a college bike project.

More help to set up a campus bike program

Tatiana from Georgia Tech is offering a webinar, Essentials to start a College Bicycle Program, to provide information and answer questions on July 14 at 11:30 a.m. ET. Join the webinar on Zoom with this link. 

During the webinar, Tatiana, the former president of Starter Bikes at a Bicycle Friendly University, will break down the essential resources you need to start or sustain a bike program on your campus. From sourcing tools and parts to securing space and allies, she’ll share practical tips and lessons learned from running a thriving student-led bike shop at Georgia Tech.

The National Youth Bike Council is also developing a guide to assist students in launching campus bike projects. Students don’t need to start from scratch; there are lots of resources and support available.

The post NYBC: Bicycle Programs Are the New Student Movement appeared first on League of American Bicyclists.

“During Bike to Work Week, we celebrate the businesses making it easier for more people to bike every day,” said Bill Nesper, executive director of the League of American Bicyclists. “Bicycle Friendly Businesses aren’t just improving commutes — they’re transforming communities through meaningful investments in better biking that benefit employees and customers alike.”

List of all Spring 2025 Awards + Honorable Mentions | List of all Current BFBs

One city stood out in particular for its influx of first-time BFBs in this round: Bentonville, Arkansas. With 13 new awards—including three Platinum, two Gold, six Silver, and two Bronze—Bentonville’s dedication to biking culture is turning heads nationwide. With these new awards, Bentonville has officially landed in the top 10 U.S. cities with the most Bicycle Friendly Businesses, tying with Fitchburg, Wisconsin, for sixth place at 28 BFBs each.

Tampa, Florida, still holds the #1 spot with 63 total BFBs. One newly elevated Silver BFB, Tampa International Airport (TPA), regularly encourages the more than 10,000 people who work there to commute by bike and was even featured in local news for their celebration of National Bike Month last year.

TPA’s Chief Development Officer Smitha Radhakrishnan shared excitement about the airport’s continued progress: “We are thrilled to achieve the Silver designation from the League of American Bicyclists. This award highlights the positive effects of our ongoing efforts to promote cycling, contribute to a healthier workforce and enhance connectivity between the airport and our surrounding community.”

Looking at the bigger picture, Florida leads the pack with 161 Bicycle Friendly Businesses across the state, thanks in large part to Tampa’s strong showing. Minnesota and California are tied for the title of state with the second-most BFBs, with 100 each. 

Regional competition is high, and for good reason. From coast to coast, employers in every corner of the country are discovering how bicycling brings lasting benefits to their teams and their communities:

“We’ve hired at least five people in the last five years who sought us out because of our reputation as a Bicycle Friendly Business.” — renewed Platinum CRW Engineering Group, Inc., Anchorage, Alaska (85 employees)

“The Cultural Trail has inspired further bike infrastructure in our city, from miles of both new greenways and protected bike lanes.”  — newly promoted Silver BFB, Indianapolis Cultural Trail, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana (17 employees)

“BIDMC’s support for bicycling has enabled employees to require less parking spots within the Longwood area, which helps to reduce the vehicle congestion that the area experiences.”  — renewing Silver BFB, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts (7,660 employees)

“We made a point from the beginning to include an engaging way to order coffee for cyclists in our community with our bike up window. We love getting to know the community through coffee, through bikes, and through being a friendly space!” — new Silver BFB, Third Space Coffee, Bentonville, Arkansas (3 employees)

This round of Bicycle Friendly Business awards shows that when employers support biking, they’re doing more than encouraging commutes by bike — they’re attracting new talent, easing traffic congestion, shaping local infrastructure, and creating deeper connections with their communities. It’s a powerful reminder ahead of Bike to Work Week — and throughout National Bike Month — of how everyday bike trips can spark long-term change.

If your business would like to join the movement, submissions for the next round of the Bicycle Friendly Business program are due on June 5, 2025 (use the code “BikeMonth25” for 10% off application fees all Bike Month long).

About the League Of American Bicyclists

Since 1880, the League of American Bicyclists has been people-powered, with a goal to make bicycling safer and easier as a means of transportation and recreation. Today, the League continues to improve lives and strengthen communities through bicycling. We are more than 200,000 members and supporters strong with more than 1,000 state and local advocacy groups and bike clubs as well as thousands of businesses, universities, and communities together leading the movement to create a Bicycle Friendly America for everyone. 

About the Bicycle Friendly Business Program

Bicycle Friendly Business awards reflect local leaders’ ongoing work to build better places to bike and evaluate those efforts as part of a national movement. Each of the five levels of the Bicycle Friendly Business award – diamond, platinum, gold, silver, and bronze, plus an honorable mention category – provides a clear path for businesses to continuously improve. Visit bikeleague.org/business to learn more about the BFB program.

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