Whether you're an advocate, policymaker, or simply someone who enjoys biking in your community, there are numerous state and local strategies you can push for to improve your city’s bike infrastructure and increase its City Ratings score. City Ratings is PeopleForBikes’ annual program that ranks thousands of communities worldwide on the quality of their low-stress bike networks.

EXPLORE YOUR CITY’S SCORE 

In an effort to help create more great places to ride across the U.S., we collected the most successful policies that boost City Ratings scores along with examples of recent wins from communities nationwide. For more information on how and why to implement these strategies, follow the links in each section to access additional resources from PeopleForBikes. 

1. Increase State and Local Funding for Bike Infrastructure

More funding at the state and local levels to build bike infrastructure is critical to building low-stress bike networks that improve City Ratings scores. 

Recent Wins:

In 2023, $2.2 billion was approved via state and local ballot initiatives to help improve bike infrastructure. That funding includes: 

• $60 million over 15 years in Boulder County, Colorado, via County Issue 1A’s sales and use tax
• $75 million for improvements that include bike infrastructure thanks to Measure 2J in Wheat Ridge, Colorado
• $9.3 million in DeKalb County, Georgia, via the SPLOST II referendum
• $62 million via the Streets and Transportation and Parks and Recreation bonds in Albuquerque, New Mexico
• $509 million over 20 years in Travis County, Texas, via Propositions A and B
• $86 million in Bellingham, Washington, via the Greenways 5 Levy that will replace an existing levy that expired at the end of 2023

So far in 2024, voters in multiple communities have passed funding measures that support bike infrastructure: 

• Measure 26-245 in Portland provides an extension of a ten-cent-per-gallon tax on motor vehicle fuels from 2024 to 2028 to fund street repair, maintenance, and traffic safety projects, including bike infrastructure.
• A Bicycle Path Millage Proposition in Holland Charter Township, Michigan, increases property taxes for four years for the planning, construction, and maintenance of bike paths. 
• Propositions A and B in Dallas provide $866 million over 20 years for roadway and recreation improvements, including bike infrastructure
• City Question 1, a 30-year voter-approved property tax, provides an estimated $15 million in Las Vegas to fund infrastructure for safer streets and better parks.

PeopleForBikes’ VoteForBikes program tracks initiatives on ballots nationwide. You can learn more about other successful mechanisms to secure state and local funding for bike infrastructure here and here, and check out our data-backed talking points to help you talk to your neighbors and elected officials about funding bike projects. 

2. Pass a Complete Streets Mandate

Complete Streets policies help ensure that streets are safe and comfortable for all users, including people riding bikes. 

Recent Wins: 

• Somerville, Massachusetts, approved a Safe Streets Ordinance to establish 30 miles of protected bike lanes by 2030. The ordinance requires both the city and private developers to incorporate elements of the city's bike network plan whenever street improvements are made. 
• Los Angeles voters passed Measure HLA, requiring the city to build bike, pedestrian, and transit infrastructure in accordance with the city’s transportation plan. 
• Minnesota passed a bill strengthening the state’s Complete Streets policy. The bill amendments, passed through a larger omnibus bill, add language to clarify that Complete Streets must be integrated into plans and offer additional implementation guidance.
• The Maryland Department of Transportation enacted MDOT 750, a Complete Streets policy. The policy mandates the incorporation of bike and pedestrian infrastructure into transportation projects, ensuring that new and reconstructed streets accommodate people who bike and walk safely and efficiently. 

Learn more about Complete Streets mandates here and here, and check out our data-backed talking points to help you talk to your neighbors and elected officials about enacting them in your community. 

3. Create Safer Streets Through Reduced Speeds and Modern Design Standards

Lowering vehicular speeds is a proven strategy to improve safety for all road users. Safer speeds make more streets comfortable for people of all ages and abilities, helping create a cohesive network of low-stress streets to complement protected bike lanes on busier arterial corridors and off-road paths or trails. 

While lowering speed limits is an excellent first step, the most successful communities follow up with design changes that reduce actual speeds on their streets. Using updated design standards, such as those created by the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO), helps ensure streets are designed for appropriate speeds and that bike infrastructure is safe and accessible for people of all ages and abilities, which in turn increases City Ratings scores. NACTO also offers guidance on intersection improvements, which are a key part of creating connected bike networks. 

Recent Wins: 

• In 2023, Columbus, Ohio, lowered the speed limit of its downtown streets to 25 miles per hour, which resulted in fewer crashes and injuries. 
• Lowell, Massachusetts, also passed a new speed limit law in 2023, lowering the speed limit in thickly settled or business districts citywide to 25 miles per hour.
• In 2024, Michigan passed Public Act 33 and Virginia passed HB 1071, making it easier for communities in both states to lower speed limits. 
• Mount Rainier, Maryland, lowered its citywide speed limit to 20 miles per hour in 2024.
• New York passed Sammy’s Law in 2024, allowing New York City to implement a citywide speed limit of 20 miles per hour, with additional 10 and 15 mph zones. 

Learn more about examples of speed limit legislation and design standards here, and check out our data-backed talking points to help you talk to your neighbors and elected officials about lowering speeds. 

4. Support Climate Legislation That Advances Bike Infrastructure

As more communities explore legislation to address air quality, climate change, and rising sea levels, it is critical that legislators clearly include bike infrastructure as a mitigation strategy to reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This nationwide movement toward a greener future is an unprecedented opportunity to build complete bike networks that allow more people to get where they need to go by bike.

Recent Wins: 

• In 2023, Minnesota adopted the Transportation GHG Emissions Impact Assessment, which mandates that any transportation expansion project must meet the state’s GHG emissions reduction and VMT reduction targets. If an expansion project does not satisfy these criteria, state agencies must incorporate mitigation measures, including bike infrastructure, into their emission reduction strategies. This legislation was founded upon Colorado’s GHG Transportation Planning Standard but went one step further to mandate VMT reduction targets, a necessary component for reducing transportation-related GHG emissions. 
• In 2024, Maryland Governor Wes Moore signed an executive order requiring the Maryland Department of Transportation to implement a process for evaluating and reducing GHG emissions attributable to transportation projects, invest in projects that reduce VMT and enhance transportation choices in Maryland, and establish annual GHG and VMT reduction targets for the transportation sector. 
• In 2024, Illinois introduced the Clean and Equitable Transportation Act (SB3936/HB5829), and Maryland introduced the Transportation and Climate Alignment Act of 2024 (SB681/HB836). Although these bills did not pass in 2024, climate legislation may require multi-year engagement to get across the finish line, and there is significant momentum behind these bills for the upcoming 2025 legislative session. 

Learn more about climate legislation here and here, and check out our data-backed talking points to help you talk to your neighbors and elected officials about how bike infrastructure can play a crucial role in fighting climate change. 

To help your community improve its City Rating score, talk to your policymakers and elected officials about the importance of securing funding for bike infrastructure, passing Complete Streets mandates, reducing speeds, adopting high-quality design standards, and supporting climate legislation that includes bike infrastructure. By learning from recent examples across the country and using our data-backed talking points, you can help your community put the most effective policies in place to create a low-stress bike network that gets more people riding bikes more often.