Bicycle Friendly Community

Resources

For general suggestions on making your community more bicycle-friendly click here.

Community Profile | General Indicators| Engineering| Education | Encouragement | Evaluation | Enforcement

Community Profile

• Population of your community

• Population Density of your community

• Climate - Find average temperatures and precipitationMedian IncomeAge distribution

• Racial Breakdown of community

• Census Data: Journey to Work Data from the 2000 census (pdf). To easily find your community, use your web browser's find feature in order to search for your community name.

• How to find census data on the # of bicycle commuters in your city.

• American Community Survey report, aLeague report on ACS biking & walking trends in 70 most populated cities

• Metropolitan Planning Organization

• AMPO

• National Association of Regional Councils
  

• League affiliated clubs and organizations

• Your Guide to forming a Bicycle Advisory Committee by MassBike
  

• Visit the website of the Alliance for Biking and Walking to conduct a search for bicycle and pedestrian coordinators.

• Search for bicycle and pedestrian coordinators

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General Resources

• Economic Impacts of Bicycling in the US (infographic and report)
  
  Improving Conditions for Bicycling and Walking. A best practices report listing outstanding projects that communities have undertaken.
  
  Reasons we should be encouraging and promoting bicycling
  
  The health risks and benefits of cycling in urban environments compared with car use: health impact assessment study.
  
  10 lessons from the world's great biking cities
  
  Bloomington, IN Platinum Bicycle Task Force Final Report: Breaking Away: Journey to Platinum

  Click here for 17 infographics about bicycling, including How Bikes Can Save Us and Bicycling in the US

  Infographic on American's Support for Funding Sidewalks and Bike Lanes
  

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Engineering

• Complete Streets and Routine Accommodation
  
  Complete Streets Policy, FAQ & Guidance
  
  California's Complete Streets Act
  
  California DOT's Deputy Directive DD-64
  
  Kentucky's Pedestrian and Bicycle Travel Policy
  
  Oregon’s statutes related to the provision of bicycle and pedestrian facilities by public agencies.

  Portland State University's Bicycle Master Plan Equity Report
  

• Bicycle Facility and Streetscaping Design Standards
  
  AASHTO
  
  MUTCD
  
  NACTO
  
  Model Design Manual for Living Streets
  
  FHWA Planning Guidance for Bicycle Transportation Facilities
  
  Washington County Bicycle Facility Design Toolkit
  
  Chicago Bike Lane Design Guide
  
  Scottsdale, AZ Road Streetscapes Design Guidelines
  
  

• Training
  
  Training opportunities related to trails and greenways
  
  FHWA University Course on Bicycle & Pedestrian Transportation
  
  Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals
  
  National Highway Institute
  
  National Cooperative Highway Research Program, Liability Aspects of Bikeway
  
  

• Bridges
  
  A guide to New York City's bridges
  
  Bicycle access for San Francisco's bridges
  
  Information on structure and design considerations when constructing underpasses and overpasses for bicycles.
  
  

• Bicycle Parking
  
  APBP Bike Parking Guidelines
  
  A review of bike parking considerations and costs
  
  Examples of bicycle parking costs in several cities
  
  Guidelines for Artistic Bicycle Rack
  
  Bike Lockers
  
  Bike Station
  
  On-street bike parking
  
  A study of the economic impact on local business when adding bike lanes to a commercial area.

  A Model Bicycle Parking Ordinance and the “Making a Place for Bicycles” fact sheet are available here
  
  Philadephia, PA
  
  Arlington County, VA
  
  Portland, OR
  

• Bikes on Transit
  
  How to improve transit accommodation of bikes in the U.S.
  
  Information from the FHWA regarding bicycles connection to transit
  
  Sportsworks, a manufacturer of bike racks for buses
  
  

• On-Road Bike Facilities and Treatments
  

  The Smart Cycling Program, the League's Position on Bike Lanes and the Bicycle Friendly Community Program
  
  A guide to signing, striping and marking bike lanes on streets
  
  Study: Evaluating the Safety Effects of Bicycle Lanes in New York City
  
  An outline of Cambridge, Massachusetts's bike lane benefits
  
  FHWA's description of arterial streets
  
  Cycle Tracks
  
  Way-finding signage
  
  Contra-Flow Bike Lanes
  
  Bike Boxes
  
  Road Diets
  
  Traffic Calming
  
  Bicycle Signal Heads
  Bike-friendly signals, Charlotte DOT video
  
  Bicycle Detection
  
  Bicycle Detection and Signalization
  
  Bicycle Boulevard Planning & Design Guidebook
  
  Requirements for Bicycle Traffic Control Devices
  
  Floating Bike Lanes in San Francisco
  
  

• Off-Road Trails and Other Recreational Facilities
  
  The Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program
  
  The Rails to Trails Conservancy’s Trailbuilding Toolkit
  
  Integrating Rail-Trails into Statewide and Metropolitan Long Range Plan
  
  Trailbuilding Resources
  
  Land Managers Mountain Bike Toolkit
  
  Downtown to Dirt: Linking On-Road Facilities to Off-Road Riding
  
  BMX tracks
  
  Velodromes
  
  Mountain bike skills park how-to
  
  The FHWA page of links for publications, design and program guidance
  
  A list of American Trails bike trail-related links
  
  Philly- Wissahickon
  
  San Francisco- Mt Sutro Open Space
  
  Tuscon- Fantasy Island, also one of the best (also one of the few) singletrack riding on a NPS property is in Tucson at Saguaro National Park.
  
  

• Bike Parks
  
  NYC- Highbridge Park
  
  Seattle- Colonnade, click here or here
  
  Boulder- Valmont, click here or here
  




• Singletrack Trail Resources
  
  Find an IMBA Club, Rep, Dealer or Patrol Near You
  
  Information on Trails Tourism and Economic Development
  
  Trailbuilding Resources
  
  Kids and mountain biking
  
  National Mountain Bike Patrol Resources Communications

  
  

• Bicycle Facility Maintenance
  
  An example of Corvallis, Oregon's maintenance procedures
  
  Iowa DOT's trail maintenance recommendations
  
  Seattle Spot improvement program
  
  Minneapolis Snow Removal
  
  

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  Education

• Adult Cyclist and Motorist Education
  
  A database cataloging educational materials
  
  Motorist Education
  
  League’s Smart Cycling Program
  
  Ride Better Tips and Presentations
  
  Ticket diversion program       
  
  Public service announcements
  
  New resident packet  
  
  League Cycling Instructor seminar
  
  Share the road campaign
  
  

• Professional Driver Education
  
  Frequent Driver Training
  
  TMi Municipal Bus Driver Training DVD Collection
  
  Sharing The Road With Cyclists, a bus driver training video
  
  

• Youth Cycling Education
  
  Safe Routes to School Guide
  
  Youth bike clubs
  
  Bike Rodeo Manual
  
  Community Cycling Center and Summer recreation programs
  
  Safety town
  
  Earn-a-Bike program
  
  NORCAL Bike League
  
  

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  Encouragement
  

• Bike Month, Bike to Work Day and Bike to School Day
  
  Information on Bike Month and Bike to Work Day
  
  Bike to School Day
  
  

• Bike Commuting
  
  An Employer/Employee Guide to Bike Commuting
  
  Create-a-Commuter, a program from the Community Cycling Center in Portland, OR
  
  Bike Buddy Program in Spokane, WA Employer Bike Commuter Incentive Guide
  
  Bicycle commuter Mentor Program in Charlotte, NC
  
  

• Bike Sharing Program
  
  Bike Share in the United States (NACTO)
  
  

• Bike Ambassador Program
  
  Chicago program
  
  Philadelphia program




• Events
  
  Community Bike Events
  
  Implementation & Advocacy Manual for  Summer Streets/Ciclovia/Sunday Parkways
  
  California Bicycle Coalition Report on Open Streets events
  
  Commuter Breakfasts
  
  Signature Cycling Events Trail Construction or Maintenance Day
  
  

• Other Encouragement Groups, Activities, Services, etc.
  
  Bike Month Public Service Announcements
  
  Local tourism board promotion
  
  Recreational Bike Clubs
  
  Mountain Bike Clubs
  
  Friends of the Trail Groups
  
  National Mountain Bike Patrol
  
  Racing Clubs or Teams
  
  Bicycle Co-ops
  
  Specialty bicycle retailers
  
  Recycle a Bicycle
  
  Bucks for Bikes Program
  
  Local Trips for Kids chapters
  
  

• Maps
  
  Online bike route finding service
  
  Online map     
  
  Print on-road bike-routes map           
  
  Print mountain bike trails map
  

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Evaluation & Planning

• Usage & Crash Rates
  
  Bicycle crashes and the economic costs
  
  Who is involved in bicycle crashes and the economic costs
  
  National Bicycle & Pedestrian Documentation Project
  
  For an example of how the NBPD project is used to benefit a community, see the Final Report from the BPAC of Alexandria, VA
  
  

• Bicycle Master Planning and Implementation
  
  A list of exemplary bicycle and pedestrian plans
  
  Suburban and Rural Bicycle Panning: Washington County Bicycle Facility Design Toolkit and Model Design Manual for Living Streets
  
  A list of Frequently Asked Questions about bicycle planning
  
  Maryland DOT's Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan web page
  
  Creating a RoadMap for Producing & Implementing a Bicycle Master Plan
  
  Mountain Bicycle Planning
  
  Dedicated funding source for implementation  
  
  Strategies for implementing simple, low-cost improvements
  
  

• Transportation Demand Management Ordinances and Strategies
  
  Trip reduction ordinances
  
  

• Economic Impact Study
  
  Portland, OR Bicycling  Economic Impact Study
  
  

• Integrated Networks: Transportation - Recreation Connection
  
  Linking the mountain biking community and the community recreation and planning staff
  
  Link to Boulder, CO – a city with a well-integrated network
  
  New York City, additional information on New York City
  
  Flagstaff, AZ urban trail system. Additional Information on Flagstaff
  
  

• Evaluating and Prioritizing
  
  OTREC Report: Improving Regional Travel Demand Models for Bicycling

  Bicycle Compatibility Index, a tool to determine how compatible a roadway is for allowing efficient operation of both bicycles and motor vehicles
  
  Mineta Transportation Institute Research Report on Low-Stress Bicycling and Network Connectivity
  
  The bikeability checklist, a tool for evaluating the bikeability of a community
  
  Guidebook on Methods to Estimate Non-Motorized Travel
  

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Enforcement

• Law Enforcement Training & Awareness
  
  General enforcement information related to bicyclists
  
  The Case For Bicycle Law Enforcement
  
  Law Enforcement Bicycle Association
  
  International Police Mountain Bike Association
  
  Developing Partnerships with Law Enforcement
  
  National Highway Traffic Safety Administration law enforcement training
  
  Targeting cyclist infractions
  
  Helmet/light giveaways
  
  How to build a bike-mounted EMS unit
  
  Speed Limits and Enforcement
  
  

• Laws & Regulations
  
  Bicycle laws by state
  
  League Cyclists’ Equity Statement
  
  League position on helmet use
  
  Mandatory helmet laws
  
  Bicycle Theft, Problem Oriented Guide for Police
  
  

• Inequitable Laws & Regulations
  
  State or local law that requires cyclists to use bike lanes where they are provided
  
  Exclusion of UVC 'far to right' exceptions