The League of American Bicyclists and Content With Purpose (CWP) have announced a new partnership to create Freedom to Ride, an ambitious digital series exploring how bicycling is transforming communities across the U.S. – improving lives, strengthening local economies, and creating places where people of all ages and abilities can safely ride.

Across the country, cities, towns, and regions are reimagining how people move and how public space is used. Bicycling is playing an increasingly important role in creating a more balanced, connected transportation system – one that expands choice, promotes healthier lifestyles, and strengthens communities. Whether it’s building protected bike lanes and connected trail networks, installing new bikeshare stations and systems, promoting cycling tourism, or encouraging campus mobility initiatives, organizations across the country are investing in infrastructure and programs that support safer, more accessible transportation.

Throughout, Freedom to Ride will highlight the wide-ranging benefits of bicycling, from healthier lifestyles and cleaner air to stronger local economies and enhanced quality of life. The series will also explore the people and organizations enabling this progress, like local leaders and community advocates who are utilizing the funding and policy frameworks in place to support more investments in better bicycling.

Freedom to Ride will feature cinematic storytelling, expert insight, and real-world case studies to spotlight the leaders, advocates, planners, businesses, educators, manufacturers, bike clubs, and everyday riders helping expand access to bicycling across the U.S. The series will showcase the projects and partnerships driving transformations and innovations in downtowns and in suburban and rural communities.

The importance of education and encouragement will also form part of the narrative. Highlighting initiatives like the League’s Smart Cycling program will show how instructors are teaching biking skills that help more people feel comfortable getting on a bike more often.

Inspired by the League’s nationally recognized Bicycle Friendly America program, Freedom to Ride will connect policy with people and infrastructure with lived experience, presenting a compelling vision of what is possible when communities invest in safer, more accessible places to ride.

Bill Nesper, Executive Director of the League of American Bicyclists, said: “Bicycling has the power to improve communities in countless ways. Through Freedom to Ride, we’re excited to showcase the people, projects, and partnerships making that possible – and inspire more communities to see what can be achieved when bicycling is safe, accessible, and part of everyday life.”

Max Smith, Founder & Managing Director of CWP, said: “Across the U.S., people are using bicycling to strengthen communities, improve lives, and create new opportunities. Through Freedom to Ride, we’re excited to meet the people and organizations behind those stories and give them a platform to share their experiences, ideas, and achievements. We’re delighted to be partnering with the League of American Bicyclists on what promises to be an inspiring and important series.”

Freedom to Ride will preview at the National Bike Summit in March 2027, followed by an extensive digital campaign designed to engage the League’s members and network, as well as policymakers, transportation leaders, urban planners, universities, businesses, advocacy groups, and the wider public.

Through this collaboration, the League and CWP will elevate the voices of the people building a Bicycle Friendly America – inspiring more communities, organizations, and individuals to be part of the movement to shape safer streets, stronger communities, and a more connected future.

CWP is a B Corp certified strategic content creator that works in partnership with leading member bodies and associations, engaging professionals in their industries’ role in building a better tomorrow.

Organizations interested in contributing to the series are encouraged to contact Isobel John, Series Researcher at CWP, to learn more: isobel@contentwithpurpose.co.uk.

The post The League of American Bicyclists and Content With Purpose partner to explore America’s Freedom to Ride appeared first on League of American Bicyclists.

When people think of Fairbanks, Alaska, they tend to picture snow, darkness, and inhospitably cold temperatures. Those things are certainly part of life in Interior Alaska, but those aren’t the only reasons people don’t bike there more often. In fact, quite a few Fairbanks residents already bike year-round. According to the most recent American Community Survey (ACS), 2.7% of Fairbanks commuters bike to work, more than five times the national average of 0.5%. 

Students at Golden Heart Performing Arts help install one highly anticipated bicycle rack from the Girls Who Weld + FAST Planning collaboration that occurred in Summer 2025.

Students at the University of Alaska Fairbanks are often spotted using the campus’s bike rental program to get around. International workers arriving through the J-1 visa program to support the local tourism economy regularly rely on bikes provided through local partnerships. More and more families are choosing to explore Fairbanks’s connected bikeways, and the area’s Metropolitan Planning Organization, Fairbanks Area Surface Transportation (FAST) Planning, recently distributed more than 600 high-visibility safety vests to local children.  

Olivia Lunsford, a transportation planner at FAST Planning, has experienced how much biking can offer firsthand. “So many people don’t even realize how convenient and fun biking is,” said Lunsford. “I’ve used our active transportation network for years, mostly on rollerblades. In 2019, I got my first bike, a hot pink Cannondale, and realized this is a way more fun way to get around Fairbanks.”  

After realizing the joys of biking herself, Lunsford hoped to make the option more readily available through her work at FAST Planning.  

“We have so many dark winter days, and bikes are excellent for mental health,” Lunsford explained. Fairbanks residents could benefit deeply from being able to bike more places, more often.  

Despite her best efforts (and a dedicated core of passionate local bike commuters), it’s been challenging for Lunsford to get the wider community on board with biking. Many residents worry about traffic safety.  

That’s the challenge Lunsford brought when she applied to join the League’s Active Mobility Leadership Lab. 

ABOUT THE PROGRAM 
Active Mobility Leadership Lab 
The Active Mobility Leadership Lab is a 16-week training program, generously funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in support of their Active People, Healthy Nation℠ Initiative. Participants (local government agency staff in emerging and aspiring Bicycle Friendly Communities) form a working group, develop an Active Mobility Action Plan, and receive training, resources, and direct technical assistance from the League to implement it. 

Throughout the Leadership Lab, League staff guided Lunsford and participants from four other communities through training sessions, peer learning opportunities, one-on-one coaching, and the development of community action plans. A key part of the program asks participants to assemble a local working group, helping to build local collaboration, accountability, and community buy-in for projects that can help increase walking and biking. 

For Lunsford, that local working group became the most valuable part of the experience. 

“I often feel very isolated in my work,” she said. “There are a lot of people heavily reliant on what I do [as a transportation planner], and yet the work is not super participatory. The Leadership Lab has been a really nice way to reorient with people who are willing to participate.” 

The BFC ‘Cycle of Support’ graphic illustrates how many communities have seen programming efforts like Bike Month lead to increased demand for bicycle infrastructure, which in turn creates a positive feedback loop by further increasing ridership and bike culture.

As the local working group began discussing Fairbanks’ needs, one idea quickly gained traction: Bike Month. National Bike Month, held each May, gives communities a framework to bring the community together to celebrate and encourage biking, and to help build bike culture. 

For Lunsford and her local working group, normalizing biking and building public support through initiatives like Bike Month is an important step toward longer-term change in Fairbanks. By helping more residents experience the benefits of biking firsthand, the group hopes to build support for the programs, policies, and infrastructure improvements that make it easier and safer for people to bike as part of daily life.

Beyond shaping the Bike Month action plan, Lunsford says the Leadership Lab changed how she approaches community engagement and coalition-building. “It has helped me figure out best outreach practices and standards, made me ask how I can find new ways to strategize, and inspired new creative tactics,” she said. “I made a ‘gravel for breakfast’ video as part of an effort to win a street sweeper, and that creative energy came from the Leadership Lab for sure.” 

Perhaps most importantly, the Leadership Lab helped turn what felt like a personal ambition into a shared community effort. “It went from me asking myself, ‘Am I the only one who wants to do Bike to Work Week?’ to having a whole group of people stoked for an entire Bike Month,” says Lunsford. 

A FAST Planning volunteer applies a valet tag to a user’s bicycle, prior to checking it in to the Free Bike Valet Bicyclists line up to check their bikes in to the fourth annual Free Bike Valet at the Midnight Sun Festival All three FAST Planning employees wave at the drone from a corner at the intersection of their next big project.

The first Fairbanks Bike Month is still taking shape, planned for May 2027. But for Lunsford, that’s already a sign of success. What started as one planner’s idea has grown into a community effort, with partners across Fairbanks helping build a stronger culture around biking and creating more opportunities for people to experience the city by bike. By bringing more people into the conversation today, Fairbanks is laying the groundwork for the community support needed to make biking and walking a more visible and accessible part of everyday life. 

This project was made possible by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (Cooperative Agreement CDC-RFA-PW-24-0080). Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of CDC. These efforts are part of the CDC’s Active People, Healthy NationSM Initiative that is working to help 27 million Americans become more physically active by 2027. 

The post Building Community Around Biking in Fairbanks, Alaska  appeared first on League of American Bicyclists.

If you’re a member of the League of American Bicyclists, you already understand the transformative power of two wheels. You know that bicycles are tools for environmental sustainability, public health, and social connection. But when was the last time you took a step back from the local advocacy meetings, the daily commutes, and the spreadsheets, and just allowed yourself to get lost in the pure, unadulterated joy of the open road?

If you are looking for your next adventure, it’s time to put a Climate Ride event on your calendar—specifically, the upcoming Green Fondo Berkshires weekend this August 28–30. With three route options each day for road cycling or gravel (your choice!), there’s a sweet ride for seasoned and novice cyclists alike.

More than just a bike ride, this is an opportunity to be a part of something bigger. Since 2008, over 8,000 Climate Riders have contributed nearly $16 million to non-profit organizations, the majority of these grassroots funds fueling local bicycling and environmental advocacy groups. 

Here are four reasons why a Climate Ride is an ideal summer adventure for League members who want to turn their passion into joyful action.

1. You’ll support the League with every mile

Climate Ride’s fundraising model gives you autonomy over where your hard-earned donor dollars go. When you register for a Climate Ride event, you can select the League of American Bicyclists as your sole grantee!

On Green Fondo, that means 100% of your fundraising grants go directly back to the League to support our national advocacy work, federal policy pushes, and the growth of bicycle infrastructure across the country. You get to embark on a joyful weekend of riding while fueling the national movement for a more Bicycle Friendly America. Talk about a win-win!

2. Get a joyful antidote to climate anxiety

In the advocacy world, it is incredibly easy to burn out. We spend so much time pushing back against car-centric infrastructure and confronting the heavy realities of the climate crisis. Climate Ride flips the script with a simple, powerful philosophy: Climate action shouldn’t be rooted in doom—it should be rooted in joy.

Committing to a multi-day bike ride forces you to move your body, breathe fresh air, and remember exactly why we fight so hard to protect this planet and our communities. “Hope” becomes a verb that generates real impact.

3. Enjoy a fully supported ride (and a digital detox)

Our attention spans are fried, our notifications are endless, and we all desperately need a nature reset. A Climate Ride event is a great excuse to take a break and unplug.

When you sign up for an event like Green Fondo Berkshires, you don’t have to worry about a thing. Climate Ride handles all the logistics: they carry your gear, mechanical teams handle the flats, rest stops are stocked with plenty of food, and the routes are fully supported. All you have to do is get there. Your only job for three days is to wake up, pedal through the gorgeous, rolling backroads of Massachusetts, and let your brain reset.

4. You’ll find your people

The magic of a “Fondo” or a Climate Ride goes beyond the miles. You aren’t riding alone; you’re surrounded by a community of 200+ other cyclists, advocates, and change-makers who share a common goal.

From the casual “party pace” groups on the road to the evening social gatherings, the atmosphere is intentionally inclusive, collaborative, and high-energy. There are no racing stats or ego here, just a shared belief that bikes can change the world. You’ll arrive as a solo rider and leave with a nationwide network of lifelong friends.

Hear from 4x Green Fondo rider, Kendra Toy: “Climate Ride is the best! The team is so supportive and is really with you the whole way—from registration to fundraising to the event itself. Everything is so well-organized and well-supported that you can really just focus on enjoying the ride, the people, the views, and the experience. It really is more than just a fundraising bike ride. Climate Ride does an excellent job of inspiring people toward action, building community and fostering camaraderie among the participants, and creating events that create lasting memories and impact.”

Ready to ride the green wave?

Whether you are a seasoned century rider or a casual weekend explorer, there is a place for you on the path. Let’s ride the high of the summer, build a more powerful community, and fund the future of bicycle advocacy together.

Join us at Green Fondo Berkshires from August 28–30. Head to the registration page, select the League of American Bicyclists as your grantee, and let’s get rolling! 

Looking for more? Climate Ride also offers multi-day tours in scenic destinations all over the world. This September, Climate Riders will venture from Pittsburgh to DC along the GAP and C&O Canal Trails – riding smooth, flat, shady, car-free miles along reclaimed rail trails.

>>>Member Perk Alert: Use code ‘BikeLeague’ for $25 off your registration fee on Green Fondo, and $100 off your registration fee on the GAP and C&O Canal Trail Ride.

The League and Climate Ride are long-term partners in building a greener, cleaner country. Over the past 20 years, dozens of League members have ridden with Climate Ride on unforgettable adventures, raising thousands of dollars to support the League’s advocacy work.

Look for more events open to grantee selection on their events page, and support the League while you pedal farther for the planet! Learn more at www.climateride.org, or reach out to info@climateride.org. 

The post League Members: Climate Ride is Calling! appeared first on League of American Bicyclists.

If you’ve been following along on our blog, Marco Speeks needs no introduction. You might know him from his LCI Spotlight last year, or from the Youth Empowerment Award he received at the 2026 National Bike Summit on behalf of Major Taylor Michigan Cycling Advocacy. 

Recently, Marco added another honor to that list: the 2026 Trailblazer Award from the Major Taylor International Cycling Alliance, recognizing his work pioneering Major Taylor Day in Michigan. We caught up with him again to hear what this recognition means, how the campaign came together, and what it could look like to bring Major Taylor Day to the rest of the country.

“I am honored to receive the 2026 Trailblazer Award from the Major Taylor International Cycling Alliance for pioneering Major Taylor Day in Michigan. Governor Whitmer’s proclamation was a team effort, and this recognition belongs to everyone who rode with us.” — Marco Speeks

Congratulations on the Trailblazer Award! You’ve been getting some well-deserved kudos lately. What does it feel like to have your work seen and celebrated this way?

Gratitude is the word. When you’re deep in the work, you’re not thinking about awards. You’re thinking about the next school visit, the next bike rack installation, the next kid who needs a bike to get to school. So when recognition comes, it lands differently. It reminds you that the work matters beyond your own four walls. The 2026 Youth Empowerment Award from the League of American Bicyclists, Governor Whitmer’s proclamation, and now the Trailblazer Award from the Major Taylor International Cycling Alliance, each of these is a signal that the broader cycling community is paying attention to what Major Taylor Michigan Cycling Advocacy is building in Detroit. I receive it on behalf of everyone who showed up. 

You mentioned the recognition belongs to everyone who “rode with us” on this campaign. Who were the key players, and what did that coalition-building process actually look like?

It was a genuine coalition, and we spearheaded and led every step of it. We brought in the League of American Bicyclists, the Ann Arbor Bicycle Touring Society, Bike Friendly Kalamazoo, and the League of Michigan Bicyclists to support our petition. We submitted the letters of support. We drafted the proclamation language. We made the case from multiple angles: historical justice, youth inspiration, educational value, and Michigan’s own identity as a state that leads on civil rights. That layered argument matters because no single voice wins a gubernatorial proclamation. You need a chorus, and we built it.  

Michigan is now the first state in the country to honor Major Taylor with a gubernatorial proclamation. Why do you think this hadn’t happened before, and what made Michigan the place where it finally did?

Honestly? Someone had to go get it. Major Taylor’s story has been hiding in plain sight for over a century. He was the fastest man on a bike, the first Black American world champion in any sport, and he preceded Jackie Robinson and Jesse Owens by decades. The history was always there. What Michigan had that other states didn’t, in this moment, was a sustained, organized campaign with a clear ask, credible partners, and a governor willing to lead. Detroit’s own story of resilience and reinvention mirrors Taylor’s, and that connection gave the proclamation an authenticity that no other state could claim in quite the same way. But the real answer is: we put in the work to make it undeniable.

If an advocate in another state wanted to replicate what you did in Michigan, where would you tell them to start?

Start with the story, not the politics. Major Taylor’s life is extraordinary on its own terms. Once people understand who he was and what he overcame, the case for recognition makes itself. Then build your coalition before you make your ask. Don’t walk into the Governor’s office alone. Bring civil rights organizations, educators, cycling clubs, city council members. Document everything. Draft the proclamation language yourself so there is no ambiguity about what you are requesting. And be patient. Persistence is not optional in advocacy. You are asking government to do something it has never done. That takes time and repeated effort.

We are not keeping this playbook to ourselves. We are currently consulting and advising cycling clubs, community organizations, and advocacy groups across the country on how to petition their own states for statewide recognition of Major Taylor. If your organization is ready to take that step, contact us. We know the path, and we are glad to help you walk it. Reach us at marks@mtmca.org or MTMCA.ORG.

What do you hope this moment in Michigan ultimately means for Major Taylor’s legacy nationwide?

I want it to be the first domino. Michigan proved it could be done. Now every state has a model to follow and no excuse not to. Major Taylor deserves a Congressional Gold Medal. He deserves to be in every American history curriculum alongside the other pioneers of his era. What we did in Michigan is a chapter, not the conclusion. The goal is a day when a young cyclist in Atlanta, or Detroit, or Los Angeles knows exactly who Major Taylor was and feels the full weight of what he accomplished. That is the legacy. We are just trying to make sure it is not buried anymore.

Marco (center right) with youth participants of MTMCA’s education programming.

The post Honoring Major Taylor’s Legacy: Q&A With Trailblazer Marco Speeks appeared first on League of American Bicyclists.

League Cycling Coaches play a key role in the League’s Smart Cycling program, training and certifying the next generation of League Cycling Instructors (LCIs). Becoming a Coach isn’t easy: it requires years of experience teaching as an LCI, proven bike maintenance skills, active community involvement, and recommendations from experienced Coaches and League staff. In this spotlight, we’re celebrating the newest names in our small but mighty network of certified League Cycling Coaches.

Kevin Baross (left) and Randy Torres-Van Vleck (right).

The San Diego County Bicycle Coalition (SDCBC) has long invested in bike education as a tool for making biking better in San Diego County. Recently, the organization has leveled up its efforts with two newly certified League Cycling Coaches on its team: Kevin Baross and Randy Torres-Van Vleck.

For bike advocacy organizations like SDCBC, having an in-house Coach can be a game-changer. As Coaches, Kevin and Randy can now officially lead LCI seminars to train, mentor, and certify the next generation of cycling instructors in their community. 

We spoke with Kevin and Randy about their path to becoming Coaches, what they learned during the certification process, and how they hope their new roles will help grow bike education in the region.

Can you share a bit about your roles at San Diego County Bike Coalition (SDCBC) and what led you to pursue becoming a League Cycling Coach?

Kevin: I am the Education Manager here at the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition, where I’ve worked for almost 11 years now. I work with a team of 40+ LCIs to put on hundreds of bike education events for thousands of adults and children every year, across the 18 cities and unincorporated areas of San Diego County. 

I’ve been attending Smart Cycling classes since they were put on in my backyard as a child, so achieving Coach status is a natural next step in my life, and also will be hugely beneficial to the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition in the future. We’re very excited to increase the number of LCI seminars we put on, and customize the format a bit as well.

Randy:  Since becoming an LCI in 2008, I’ve led over 200 classes and community bike rides for the San Diego County Bike Coalition. As a community organizer working in the urban planning advocacy space professionally, I bring a popular education approach to bike education. I pursued Coach status to recruit and train the next generation of LCIs.

What was the most valuable thing you took away from the Coach training process?

Kevin: I think anyone who’s an LCI already knows this, but the best way to learn something is to teach it. And it turns out teaching teachers to teach is even better! Becoming a Coach is not a quick process, nor should it be. The standards are high, the oversight is very hands-on, and it truly feels like an accomplishment by the end. Even though the journey hasn’t actually been unusually long, I feel like in some ways I’ve been working towards this for decades.

Randy: The Coach training process was fun. I appreciated the opportunity to enhance my bike education skills and the feedback from experienced educators Coach Rio Oxas and Coach Ron Durgin. 

What difference do you hope having two new League Cycling Coaches will make for SDCBC?

Kevin: LCI Seminars are almost defined by their very quick and intense pace. Coaches fly in to the area, have limited time to share knowledge, and then need to get on to the next seminar. As organizational coaches, we’re here for the long haul! This means we can make the class more accessible. It can be a big ask to demand the full attention of students for as many hours of the day as a traditional seminar does. Being able to spread things out a bit more will mean someone who wants to become an LCI but doesn’t have the ability to devote a full weekend to the class will feel more welcome. I want more neurodivergent LCIs. I want more instructors who require learning accommodations. There is no shortage of opportunities to teach in San Diego County, and we need more instructors! Being organizational coaches will help us get a more diverse population on board.

Randy: Kevin and I have been co-teaching Smart Cycling courses together since 2009.  I’m a collaborative person and enjoy working with others to co-design proposals, programs, events, campaigns, etc.  I’m looking forward to co-designing the LCI seminars in San Diego with Kevin. We have ideas on how to make the seminar more accessible such as spreading out the three days over a few different weekends rather than three straight days. 

What do you hope this growing network of LCIs will mean for people in San Diego County?

Kevin: San Diego County is nearly twice as large as Delaware, with a population greater than the entire state of Nevada. And I always say even if you never ride a bike, you’ll be using the road alongside people that do, so there’s something at our classes for everyone. More LCIs means more classes. And more education means things are better for everyone, bicyclists and otherwise.

Randy: We plan to provide a local LCI seminar every March. The consistency will make planning and recruitment easier which we hope will lead to more folks participating.  

Do you have a favorite local bike route or hidden gem in the region?

Kevin: Well, if I gave up all the best hidden spots, they wouldn’t be hidden anymore! That said, the Bayshore Bikeway is the first place I send new visitors to San Diego. This 24-mile loop around the whole of San Diego Bay did not come into existence on its own, and is the proud result of many Bike Coalition advocates across decades. And there’s still more work to be done!

The San Diego River Path which runs through Mission Valley is also an excellent resource and a bit of a hidden gem. “I never knew you could ride your bike to the beach!” is a real phrase I’ve heard from (slightly out of breath) friends who have lived here their entire lives. 

Randy: We have so many incredible bike routes in San Diego. My favorite routes are the Los Cruzadores group rides my friends and I lead from Barrio Logan through the South Bay where I grew up, across the border, and into Tijuana.  We have lots of new protected bikeways such as the SR-15 Commuter Bikeway in the urban core communities.  As advocates, we spent over 10 years organizing and building support for them. It feels amazing to ride bikeways you helped advocate for.

Anything you’d like other advocacy organizations to know about the value of having their own in-house Organizational Coaches?

Kevin: I frankly don’t think every bike advocacy and bike education organization should have their own organizational coach. It’s a big investment of time and energy and money. But if your organization is big enough and active enough, the ability to have LCI seminars available essentially on-demand would be extremely helpful. 

This field has traditionally been monochromatic and male-dominated. My number one goal as an organizational coach is to recruit more instructors in traditionally underserved areas of the county. More seminars put on in more accessible ways means we can diversify our pool of teachers. That means more bilingual classes, more classes taught by people who live and work in the areas they teach, and a better education for all.

Randy: It’s a bit early to tell because we just became Organizational Coaches last month. But the hope is that by having Organizational Coaches, orgs can take their bike education services to the next level by planning seminars more frequently, recruit more folks and add more seminars if needed to meet demand, and design the courses around the needs of local communities. 

The post Meet San Diego County Bike Coalition’s New League Cycling Coaches appeared first on League of American Bicyclists.

When Ashley Sisk applied to join the League’s Active Mobility Leadership Lab, she was looking for new ways to build support for bicycling in Wichita Falls, Texas. As the first Bicycle Friendly Community Coordinator in the city’s Health Department, Sisk hoped the program would help Wichita Falls build a more coordinated, data-driven approach to improving bicycle safety and connectivity.  

ABOUT THE PROGRAM 
Active Mobility Leadership Lab 
The Active Mobility Leadership Lab is a 16-week training program, generously funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in support of their Active People, Healthy Nation℠ Initiative. Participants (local government agency staff in emerging and aspiring Bicycle Friendly Communities) form a working group, develop an Active Mobility Action Plan, and receive training, resources, and direct technical assistance from the League to implement it. 

A few weeks into the program, the work took on new urgency.  

In early spring 2026, while Sisk and her fellow Leadership Lab participants were learning about community engagement and starting to build action plans, a father and daughter were killed while riding their bikes along the I-44 corridor that connects downtown Wichita Falls and Sheppard Air Force Base. Another bicyclist fatality followed just over two weeks later, amplifying concerns that residents already had about safety on local roads. 

As community members began asking what could be done, the city’s new working group that emerged from the Leadership Lab became a place to channel concern into action. “People have been calling to see what the city is doing [to address these fatalities],” said Sisk. “The working group and the Bicycle Advisory Committee have been a great outlet for them to share their voice and get involved… We’re having stakeholders reach out and say, ‘We want to stop this. This isn’t right, we got to make our roadway safer.’” 

Photo: Ramble & Co, a Bronze-level Bicycle Friendly Business in downtown Wichita Falls, is among the local businesses working to support a safer bicycling community. 

As a Bronze-level Bicycle Friendly Community since 2019, a designation that helps a community align with national standards as it works towards its bicycle infrastructure and programming goals, Wichita Falls already had a foundation for this work. Local champions, city staff, and organizations like the Wichita Falls Bicycling Club have already spent years building momentum to get more people riding bicycles safely in the community. Events like the Hotter’N Hell Hundred draw more than 10,000 riders each year, boosting bicycling as a more visible part of community life. Education programs like Cycle SMART and city investments in bicycle and pedestrian connections have also helped make active transportation a safer everyday option.

The pieces were there, but there was no formal process for consistently bringing partners together, aligning priorities, and turning ideas into action. Sisk and the local Leadership Lab working group she organized focused their action plan on this key challenge: creating a more coordinated approach to bicycle safety and planning in Wichita Falls.  

Their plan calls for launching a pilot bicycle advisory committee through the Health District, with representation from across the community and a range of local government departments. The goal is for the committee to strengthen coordination among partners while laying the groundwork for a more formal advisory structure in the future. 

Sisk says one of the best outcomes of the work so far is a promising new partnership with the local military base. “Honestly, it wouldn’t have happened without the working group,” says Sisk. “Sheppard Air Force Base is huge here. We train 60% of airmen in the U.S. and it’s a big part of our economy. Many service members are here short-term without their vehicles, and they are walking, they’re biking, and they’re riding public transportation. …I connected with someone from the base’s Office of Safety, which is a whole office that’s focused on the safety of airmen outside of the base. It’s been great.” 

The committee is still taking shape, but the impact of the Active Mobility Leadership Lab is already visible. For example, both the City and County recently adopted Bike Month proclamations to show their commitment to improving conditions for bicyclists at the local and county levels. New partners like the Air Force Base and local business leaders are joining the conversation, more Wichita Falls residents are finding ways to get involved through public meetings, and local leaders are working together to meet growing public interest in health, safety, and active transportation options. For Sisk, that’s an important step toward ensuring bicycle safety remains a shared community priority long after her time in the Leadership Lab training program ends. 

The League is looking forward to hosting a new round of Active Mobility Leadership Lab training next year. Keep an eye on the League’s blog and newsletter for announcements about the next Leadership Lab application period.  

This project was made possible by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (Cooperative Agreement CDC-RFA-PW-24-0080). Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of CDC. These efforts are part of the CDC’s Active People, Healthy NationSM Initiative that is working to help 27 million Americans become more physically active by 2027. 

The post Building Partnerships for Safer Active Mobility in Wichita Falls, Texas  appeared first on League of American Bicyclists.

This blog was originally featured in Momentum Magazine.

Six months ago, the League of American Bicyclists released the Bike Advocacy Toolkit: a practical, grassroots-focused guide for advocates working to make biking better in their communities.

We sat down with the toolkit’s author, Anna Tang, the League’s Bicycle Friendly America Program Specialist, to talk about what inspired it, who it’s for, and what she hopes it becomes.

What inspired the creation of the Bike Advocacy Toolkit, and was there a particular moment that made you realize it was needed?

As the League’s Bicycle Friendly America Program Specialist, I travel around the country facilitating Bicycle Friendly Community Workshops to help people make biking better in their cities and towns. As I’ve listened to the challenges people face at the local level, it became clear that there is a need to help the grassroots bike movement get better organized and learn the fundamentals of doing that work.

To answer that need, the League developed a series of bike advocacy workshops that I lead to certify people as League Cycling Advocates (LCAs). The LCA program was the real instigator for creating the toolkit — so that advocates would have a manual of sorts, for use as an educational tool during the workshop, and as a reference for continuing their advocacy journey beyond the workshop.  Our next LCA workshop is in Chicago, Illinois, this September, and registration is open through August 14th, 2026. 

Sign up for the next League Cycling Advocate workshop here! Registration closes on August 14th, 2026.

Who do you imagine using the toolkit most — first-time advocates or established organizations refining their strategies?

While it’s written for anyone, novice and seasoned advocates alike, I imagine most toolkit users are bike advocates who are probably at least a year into their bike advocacy journey. I do hope established bike nonprofits will use it, particularly to distribute to their local members to help them get organized and educated. It’s also written with new advocates in mind who are early in the work, starting their own advocacy initiatives in their community, and who need some guidance to build up their local circles of support.

What are some of the biggest barriers local advocates face when trying to create change in their communities?

Personality clashes, moving forward without a plan, access to funding, and time constraints are probably the most common barriers that I see local advocates face. Often, outside factors beyond the group’s control are part of the issue at hand, so I’m a strong believer in debating ideas instead of debating people. That mindset helps not to take those conflicts so personally. 

Many advocates also plow forward with an idea or goal, but they don’t do their homework first. For example (and to tie into the time and money barriers), I’ve often seen advocates jump in at the end of a project and ask for a bike lane when the project has already gone through the design phase, environmental review, council approval, and budget hearings. Unfortunately, at that point, it’s probably too late in the game to include a bike lane. It would behoove advocates to make a plan, do their homework, and be strategic to get ahead of the next big project. The Bike Advocacy Toolkit is meant to help them do so, especially the section on the “7 Steps to a Winning Campaign,” which helps organize ideas into a strategic effort.

Why do you think grassroots, community-level organizing is such an effective force for better biking infrastructure?

Illustration from the Bike Advocacy Toolkit.

There’s a saying out there — “Nothing about us without us” — and it’s really what being an effective organizer means. When you invite as many perspectives and people as possible to the table (and intentionally include folks to be part of the conversation), not only will the work that you’re trying to do have a better result, but people in the community will have more buy-in, understanding, and support for the end project. 

It’s okay to have different perspectives and opinions about various issues; that’s what makes this work interesting. If there’s no space to share diverse perspectives and engage in dialogue about the work you’re doing, then the result usually won’t be as robust as it could be. Grassroots, community-level organizing is the most effective way to build sustainable power and create structure for long-term change — not just making a bunch of quick wins.

How did you ensure the toolkit reflects equity and inclusion and elevates diverse voices within cycling advocacy?

Equity, inclusion, working towards justice, and accessibility are the starting points for effective and good advocacy work, so that is where we started. We wanted to make sure these values were woven throughout the toolkit, and invited a variety of external reviewers to offer different perspectives and provide feedback to make it more accessible, equitable, and inclusive. I know there’s also probably a lot more we could do to make our document more accessible to different types of learners and abilities, and welcome feedback on how to do so. 

Illustration from the Bike Advocacy Toolkit.

Which tool or exercise inside the toolkit are you most proud of?

I think the local budget section and the example capital budget request letter are very useful, and I hope people get a lot of mileage out of those sections. If local advocates can work on influencing their local budget to get more funding for biking projects, that would be a dream come true — it would really make a difference for people today and for generations to come. Not enough people realize how influential they can be on their local budget, no matter the size of their community.

How does this new resource fit within the League’s broader mission to make biking safer and more accessible nationwide?

The League’s mission is to create a bicycle-friendly America for everyone. Right now, the U.S. population is around 340 million people, which our staff of fifteen could not possibly reach individually in a lifetime. The Bike Advocacy Toolkit aims to amplify our reach by helping those who are already in the bike advocacy movement to be more effective organizers and advocates. 

What role do you see technology and digital organizing playing in the future of local bike advocacy?

Technology and digital organizing will only ever be as good as the user puts it into practice. With that being said, I can see it being a huge help for organizers who are trying to scale their work up and manage large projects with lots of moving parts. However, people have been organizing impactful advocacy campaigns for decades upon decades without the newfangled technology of today, so it’s not a necessary tool to be effective or impactful. The best-case scenario is that advocates can use tech to cut down on busy work and let folks do more of what they love. 

What advice would you give to advocates who feel discouraged by slow or bureaucratic progress in their city?

Have fun along the way and incorporate your existing hobbies and interests into your bike advocacy work. For example, if you’re an event planning connoisseur and like to curate gatherings, then do that and just have people bike to the event! Or if you love to take pictures and videos, you can use that skill for social media or influencer opportunities. 

Illustration from the Bike Advocacy Toolkit.

Unfortunately, some advocacy projects (like building huge infrastructure projects) take a long time, but some don’t. You can focus on both at the same time, boosting your morale for long-term projects by celebrating a small, bite-sized win. Just taking a bike ride is a form of advocacy, after all. You don’t have to always build a bike lane to make a difference.

How do you hope the toolkit will grow and evolve over time — could there be updates, translations, or new versions?

I’m hoping for all of the above! I definitely would love to see it translated into several languages as funding becomes available. (P.S. If anyone knows of relevant funding opportunities, let me know!) I also plan to expand on this toolkit to answer questions and cover advocacy topics that we didn’t cover in this version, like how to recruit board members, start bike buses, engage with various populations like college students, and much more — but I think we would produce a new toolkit or addendum, rather than make this one even longer. Our resources for advocates are always intended to be as useful as possible, so if you have feedback or ideas, the door (or really, my inbox) is always open!

On a personal note, what kind of rider are you, and how does your own cycling experience shape the way you approach advocacy?

I would say that I’m a bike commuter and adventure rider. I enjoy getting around town on a bike and also use it as a form of adventure — bikepacking is my favorite form of biking. Commuting by bike is really what first influenced me and my approach towards advocacy. I started out feeling very overwhelmed, confused, and scared, but I was determined to make my own personal experience biking to work better. This led me to the organizing and bike advocacy world, where I had to learn through experience and educate myself firsthand. I wish someone could have just handed it all to me in a manual instead of having to learn everything the hard way, and I hope the Bike Advocacy Toolkit can be that manual for all the emerging bike advocates out there. 

The post From Bike Lanes to Big Wins: How a New Advocacy Toolkit Is Empowering Local Changemakers appeared first on League of American Bicyclists.

Editor’s Note: This blog was written by Sara Studdard at City Thread, a partner of the League, and also appears on City Thread’s blog.

Organized by the Bentonville Moves Coalition, this event celebrates the City’s completion of a new stretch of protected bike and pedestrian infrastructure and reinforces the City’s commitment to moving faster. Photo: Sierra Scott

Three years ago, Bentonville, Arkansas, was a Bronze-level Bicycle Friendly Community (BFC) with an ambitious goal: to build a connected bike-and-pedestrian infrastructure in a few years that traditional planning timelines would have taken decades to deliver. Fast forward to 2026, and Bentonville has built 30 miles of protected bike lanes, sidewalks, and greenways, has earned Silver BFC status, and is on a credible path to Gold. 

Work is ongoing, and impact metrics are just starting to come in, but as industry experts, we’re betting the Bentonville case study will turn the entire field of community building on its head. The lessons learned here can be applied everywhere, and plenty of cities stand to benefit from these results. 

Project delivery in Bentonville accelerated 15 times the city’s historic pace, backed by tens of millions of dollars in aligned local and public investment. Anyone who’s worked for or with local governments knows how impressive those numbers are. What’s more, we’ve learned that achieving these results doesn’t require any conditions unique to Bentonville. Just a deliberate approach to building the right coalition, resourcing local champions, and keeping an ambitious timeline.

Community partners gather for “Bentonville Moves,” a broad coalition for safer, convenient, and more connected streets for everyone—not just people who bike. Photo: Sierra Scott

The First Thing You Build is Your Coalition

The bike infrastructure initiatives that stall usually do so because people think the purpose is to serve cyclists. We’ve learned that when a mobility project is framed primarily as a benefit for one group, it invites opposition from groups favoring other modes of transportation. 

Bentonville framed the project as mobility and added safety for everyone, regardless of how you get around. That framing invites in drivers worried about congestion, parents focused on school safety, employers thinking about workforce access, and neighborhood advocates pushing for equity.

As Jeremy Rose, owner of Bike Inn Bentonville, put it: “This is a community that values active transportation, outdoor recreation, and forward-thinking infrastructure.” That whole-community mindset enabled the city to build a broad coalition capable of carrying the project across the finish line. 

At a March 2025 workshop, Bentonville brought together local businesses to help submit applications for the League’s Bicycle Friendly Business (BFB) certification. Businesses and organizations present included Gnargo Bike Co, Specialized Bentonville, Phat Tire Bike Shop, Toole Design Group, Meteor Bike Shop, Bike Inn Bentonville, Pedal It Forward, Peel Compton, Coler, Latinas En Bici, Flo Bikewear, Halff Associates, 5th Street Studio, Amazeum, and Signature Bank. Bentonville built its coalition across sectors, bringing together not just bike shops, but engineering firms, banks, and nonprofits. 

Local businesses and organizations meet in March 2025 to work on Bicycle Friendly Business applications, with attendees from local businesses including bike shops, banks, nonprofits, and design firms. Photo: Sierra Scott

Local Investment, Local Control

One of Bentonville’s most impactful strategic decisions was to move away from a financial model heavily dependent on a single major philanthropic funder to one grounded in diversified local investment. The city committed $28 million of its own dollars to that effort. That’s a big stake, but it paid off in Bentonville, and we think it’s crucial to success everywhere. 

Local investment matters for several key reasons. It gives cities the authority to set their own priorities rather than deferring to outside funders. It creates a stronger case for attracting state and federal dollars, since local investment signals credibility and commitment. And it builds more durable momentum that doesn’t collapse when a funding source dries up.

Local leaders in Bentonville talk about how committing city dollars to bike infrastructure reshaped the politics of getting projects built. Photo: Sierra Scott

The pattern we see cities repeat across the country is to wait for major philanthropic backing before they move. Bentonville illustrates how, when a city puts its own resources behind a plan, it changes the political dynamics, accelerates decision-making, and indicates to residents and businesses that this is really happening.

Students and families participate in Bike to School Day on Bentonville’s new protected routes, showing how rapid infrastructure build-out can quickly change daily travel habits, from less stressful carpool drop-offs to new ways of getting to school. Photo: Sierra Scott

Speed is Part of the Strategy

There’s a frustrating tendency in this field to treat slow implementation as a given. The Bentonville coalition was likely as united by its frustration with waiting as by anything else. That shared commitment to keeping a foot on the gas resulted in 30 miles of biking and walking infrastructure in 3 years, at 15 times the historic rate. And it proves how quickly a project at this scale can be completed when the political, organizational, and financial conditions are aligned.

Strategically, speed matters in more ways than just efficiency. Communities need to see results within political and human timeframes to sustain enthusiasm and trust. Early accomplishments build confidence and momentum, and that translates beyond just construction timelines. 

Bentonville more than doubled the number of certified Bicycle Friendly Businesses within a year because the infrastructure was built quickly enough to capitalize on the excitement around the project and change how people actually move through the city. 

How to Replicate Bentonville’s Success 

Every community has its own political dynamics and funding landscape, but the core strategy here can be achieved everywhere. We’ve used this same Accelerated Mobility Playbook (AMP) across the country: align partners, resource local champions, and build at scale, quickly. It works, and Bentonville is just the latest proof.  

The path from Bronze to Silver to Gold is feasible for many more cities than they realize. There may be significant challenges in politics, community support, and resources, but these are solvable problems when you bring the right strategy to the table.

Want to learn more about Bentonville’s journey? Join the League and Citythread for a webinar on June 30th, 2026, to hear from city and community leaders on how they are moving forward together, faster.

Sara Studdard is a Partner and co-founder at City Thread, a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to accelerate projects that help people move safely, efficiently, and equitably throughout their communities. A community engagement and communications professional with a 15-year track record of working with people and systems to use their resources for growth and good, Sara’s approach centers on coalition-building strategies that drive positive change. 

The post How Bentonville Became a Bike City: From Bronze to Silver and Beyond appeared first on League of American Bicyclists.

When I came to Beckley, West Virginia, for a two-day Bicycle Friendly Community workshop earlier this month, I wasn’t sure what kind of turnout to expect. What I found was a room full of people who didn’t need convincing. Parks directors, trail advocates, city engineers, a youth mountain biking coach, folks who work in regional economic development… people who came because they’re already doing this work, and who want their state to be better for biking.

Attendees of Beckley’s Bicycle Friendly Community workshop

Take Phil Waidner, who drove over from Fayetteville, where he runs one of the region’s premier cycling destinations: Arrowhead Bike Farm. Phil didn’t need a workshop to tell him that West Virginians love to bike, he’s built a business on it. 

If you build it, the cyclists will come (and they’ll bring their wallets)

Outdoor adventure recreation is already West Virginia’s brand. Rafting, hiking, climbing, and increasingly, biking, are all commonly enjoyed by West Virginians and tourists drawn by the allure of the Mountain State. You don’t keep those tourists coming back without a rich local bike culture: shops to explore, restaurants with bike parking, destinations like Arrowhead Bike Farm where the whole vibe is built around bikes and the people who love to ride them. That’s the neat thing about investing in bikeability. If you build it, the people who bike will come — and they’ll arrive with empty stomachs and open wallets.

Tourism is just the start of the benefits you get when investing in better biking. Expanding a rail-trail corridor like the Lewis McManus Memorial Honor Trail (the four-mile Beckley rail trail we explored during the workshop’s bike audit) attracts out-of-town riders, but it also serves locals who are already biking to get groceries, the car-free college students trying to get their fast food fix, and the older adults for whom cycling is one of the most accessible and age-friendly ways to stay active.

Mitch Lehman, Director of Beckley’s Office of Outdoor Economic Development, says: “One of the practical goals is improving connections between existing recreational assets and everyday destinations…we want to make it so that you can bike all around Beckley, and especially getting folks from the Harper Road area into our downtown space is super important.” 

Stopping by the Bill Withers Plaza during the workshop’s bike audit Attendees rode to the end of Beckley’s McManus Rail Trail and discussed the need for more connectivity

The terrain is the point, and the challenge

West Virginia isn’t called the Mountain State for the bumper sticker. The topography that makes it such a draw for adventure recreation also makes it challenging to build connected transportation infrastructure, especially with limited small-town budgets. As one attendee described it, communities in West Virginia can feel like a collection of islands: small-town oases tucked into river valleys and hollows, separated from one another by winding mountain roads, steep grades, and rugged terrain.

Shoutout to Dr. Abildso (center) for lending his expertise and insights during the bike audit and workshop overall!

You can’t move the mountains. But throughout the workshop, there was a clear sense that communities across West Virginia are trying to build more connections across them. Dr. Christiaan Abildso, a Physical Activity Specialist with WVU Extension’s Family Nutrition Program, described helping the tiny town of Clay, West Virginia (pop. 399) secure a federal Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) planning grant. The funding will help Clay County develop a comprehensive safety action plan focused on reducing roadway fatalities and improving conditions for people walking and biking: building critical infrastructure like sidewalks, pedestrian bridges, traffic calming, and improved signage.

In a state where many communities are separated by mountains and miles of rural roadway, that kind of support can make the difference between recognizing a problem and having the capacity to address it.

What the data says

The enthusiasm in Beckley tells one story. The League’s Bicycle Friendly State rankings tell another. Together, they make a compelling case.

West Virginia currently ranks 33rd in the nation and 8th out of 13 states in the Southern region. Its lowest scores are in Infrastructure (49%, 38th nationally) and Capacity & Support (42%, 33rd), which tracks with what workshop attendees described: communities that want to build, plan, and connect, despite low capacity and limited resources.

There’s reason for cautious optimism: West Virginia has seen a record use of federal funds on biking and walking projects over the past two years, and seven communities across the state have received SS4A grants to develop comprehensive safety action plans. That federal investment is already headed in the right direction. The opportunity now is for state leadership to coordinate around it, amplify it, and push for more.

One thing that would help enormously is a statewide transportation advocacy coalition. West Virginia previously had one (West Virginia Connecting Communities) but it has since dissolved, leaving a real gap in organized, unified advocacy for biking and walking at the state level. That absence shows up in the data. It also showed up as a recurring undercurrent in the workshop: community leaders doing good work in relative isolation, without a statewide network to connect their efforts or amplify their voices. 

West Virginia, it’s time!

Beckley wants to bolster bikeability, according to the front page of the local Register Herald

Beckley is already a Bronze-level Bicycle Friendly Community, and the people there are ready to go further. Folks left the BFC workshop energized, connected, and already talking about how to keep the momentum going. 

What they need is for West Virginia’s leaders to fight for funding that matches the level of demand that already exists. Not because biking is a niche hobby for a niche crowd, but because it’s economic development. It’s public health. It’s how kids get to school. It’s connectivity for communities. And based on this workshop’s energy, it’s what West Virginians are asking for. 

The federal investment is already there, waiting to be met. The communities are ready. The next Bicycle Friendly State report cards come out later this year — and with the right support, West Virginia has every reason to move up.

Thank you to General Motors for making this workshop possible.

The post West Virginia Is Ready to Roll: Reflections from Beckley’s Bicycle Friendly Community Workshop appeared first on League of American Bicyclists.

This post will be updated as we analyze new sections or learn new information.

On Sunday night, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee released its proposed legislative language for the next five-year surface transportation reauthorization bill. This 500-page plus bill is our first look at how Congress is approaching transportation issues in this reauthorization – and while it’s not our worst fears realized, there are proposed cuts and repeals across the board that temper any enthusiasm. 

Here are the good (many with an asterisk), the bad, and the ugly parts of the House’s reauthorization bill. 

Our Priorities 

Going into reauthorization, we’ve had several main priorities in our advocacy. These are the lifeblood of keeping bicycling and walking safe and accessible for everyone. 

Transportation Alternatives – GOOD*

Transportation Alternatives (TA) is the largest, most reliable pot of funding for bicycling and walking projects. When Chairman Sam Graves was quoted earlier this year saying this would be a “traditional” highways bill and wouldn’t fund things like bike lanes, we grew concerned and thousands of you took action with us to remind Congress of the value of bike projects. 

The bill maintains Transportation Alternatives as a stand-alone program along with its statutory annual increases. This is very good. However, the asterisk is due to the removal of language limiting states’ ability to transfer funding out of TA to other projects, which had been introduced in the previous reauthorization.   

Sarah Debbink Langenkamp Active Transportation Safety Act – GOOD*

Sarah Debbink Langenkamp was a diplomat, a mother, a spouse, a person who biked. The bill named after her would ensure her life’s legacy of safer roads for everyone. Sarah’s bill has been a Summit ask of the League since 2023. 

Key provisions of Sarah’s bill have been included in the bill, a testament to the advocacy of her family and of advocates across the country. The provisions would make it easier for states and local governments to fund bicycling and walking safety projects. As for the asterisk, we are working with partners on an amendment that would ensure all the provisions of Sarah’s bill are included in the House’s reauthorization bill. 

Safe Streets and Roads for All – GOOD*

Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) is a discretionary grant program created by the previous reauthorization bill, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). Disbursing $5 billion over five years, SS4A provided local grantees with direct access to funding for projects to plan for and implement safety improvements. Like TA, SS4A is a major source of funding for projects that make roads safer for everyone. 

SS4A is preserved in this reauthorization draft and includes changes that should benefit grantees, such as increasing the federal share of a project from 80% to 90%. The only asterisk is more about the unknown: the program will shift offices within the U.S. Department of Transportation and with that be subject to new parameters. 

Magnus White and Safe Streets for Everyone Act – GOOD 

The Magnus White and Safe Streets for Everyone Act will require a new car safety standard for bicyclist-Automatic Emergency Braking. The bill is named after Magnus White, a 17-year-old rising star in the cycling world who was killed while on a training ride ahead of the world championships. The driver who killed him was asleep at the wheel. Lives like Magnus’s can be saved with bicyclist-AEB. The bill includes language moving bicyclist-AEB closer to being deployed in new cars. 

Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program – UGLY

The Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program (ATIIP) is another program created by IIJA – a major win by Rails to Trails Conservancy. ATIIP was intended to provide large grants to local governments to build out active transportation networks within cities, or to build connectors between communities, however its authorization did not come with funding. A push by advocates, including Lobby Day participants at the 2022 Summit, was able to secure $44.5 million in funding for ATIIP. Demand was huge: grant applications totaled more than $1.8 billion. 

ATIIP is repealed in this reauthorization, despite it not utilizing any funding. ATIIP projects are still eligible under the new “Surface Transportation Accelerator Grant” but it is just one eligibility of many. 

Other Top Issues 

More broadly, we’re keeping an eye on bicycling and walking issues in every section of the bill. 

BIKE Act – GOOD 

The reauthorization includes updating the Highway Safety Program Guideline on Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety for elementary and secondary school students to “encourage on-bicycle training that promotes bicycling skills and safe practices,” a major provision of the BIKE Act, a 2025 Summit ask. 

Safety Funding – GOOD 

The Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) provides roughly $3 billion each year for all types of transportation safety projects. Before the IIJA, states spent roughly 1% of their HSIP funding on vulnerable road user (VRU) safety, despite the share of VRU fatalities often being much higher than 1% of roadway deaths. The League for years advocated to create a special rule that would require states to spend more on VRU safety where VRU fatalities represented a higher share overall. In the IIJA, we secured a VRU Special Rule that required states with a VRU fatality rate 15% or higher to spend 15% or more of its HSIP funds on projects to improve VRU safety.

The bill keeps the VRU Special Rule in place, ensuring continued funding for these safety projects. 

Project Eligibility – GOOD 

Biking and walking projects can be funded by a broad array of core formula and discretionary grant programs. Allowing broad eligibility gives states and regions the discretion to build multimodal infrastructure, ensuring more efficient project delivery. 

The bill maintains broad eligibility so state and local governments can implement multimodal projects that benefit their communities.

Small Project Delivery – GOOD

One of the most frustrating things about building high quality bicycling and walking infrastructure isn’t just getting the funding, it’s getting the permits to actually build. For decades, small bike projects like installing bike racks have had to go through the same process as expanding the interstate. Under the new bill, the Federal Highways Administration is directed to create a short easy to understand checklist to move a project through the environmental review process. We hope this will be modeled off of a similar checklist the transit administration already uses. In addition, some changes were made to make it easier to maintain and expand bicycle and pedestrian projects within parklands.  These provisions were first approved under the Biden Administration and this bill will codify those changes. 

Lithium Ion Battery Safety Standards – GOOD

The bill also requires the Consumer Product Safety Commission to transform their voluntary lithium ion battery standards to permanent, required UL standards. 

(Anti-)Speeding Program – GOOD

For the first time, Congress is directing behavioral safety funding administered by NHTSA to address speeding, which is involved in about 30% of traffic deaths. This new program is funded at slightly more than twice the level of the nonmotorist safety program. While the focus is on speeding, the funding can also be used to post new, hopefully lower, speed limits signs. As in previous bills, automated speed enforcement is limited to school and work zones.

MOVE Act – GOOD

The original MOVE Act required a study on the safety, especially as it pertains to children, of micromobility (under 20mph without pedalling) and high speed personal transportation devices (such as e-motos). A study on micromobility is included in the bill, but high speed personal mobility devices were left out. MOVE Act sponsor Representative Titus offered an amendment to include the faster vehicles in the study, but withdrew the amendment because the votes weren’t there in the end.

Bridge Access – BAD 

Under IIJA project sponsors were required to provide bicycling and walking access on bridges if it could be done at a reasonable cost (as determined by the Secretary). The new bill says a Secretary may require it, but that such access isn’t automatically required. 

Recreational Trails – BAD 

We had been working on an option to increase funding for recreational trails while maintaining existing funding for local government transportation funding levels. We were unsuccessful and Rec Trails will stay at its current level. 

Healthy Streets – BAD

Authorized but not funded by IIJA, the Healthy Streets program would fund communities to address urban heat islands and flooding in low-income neighborhoods and communities of color. As a League ask, we had been successful in getting funding in the House budget, but not the Senate. The bill repeals Healthy Streets and any potential for funding. 

Autonomous Commercial Motor Vehicles – BAD

While this provision is specifically about trucks on interstates, it is a potentially large step for the deployment of autonomous vehicles. The bill includes a regulatory framework for the autonomous commercial vehicles that is based on self-certification of a Safety Case. The Safety Case concept rests “claims, supported by arguments and evidence” about the safety of autonomous vehicles. The specificity of claims, arguments, and evidence would depend upon rulemaking as the bill uses terms like “description” and “explanation.” While bicyclist safety can – and should – be addressed in a Safety Case, this is far from the objective data on performance that has long been the League’s priority in a “vision test.”

Consolidated Funding Pilot Program – TBD

This pilot program will allow 10 states to receive all of their base apportionment in a lump sum. That includes their Surface Transportation Block Grant Program, Transportation Alternatives Program, safety and highway performance money, et cetera. In doing so they would not have to set aside funds for TAP or VRU safety – even if they have fatalities rates that would require it.

Carbon Reduction Program – UGLY 

The IIJA included the first-ever Climate title (essentially a dedicated subject area) in a transportation bill. With that title, the Carbon Reduction Program offered more than $1 billion a year for both bicycling and walking projects, as well as projects that could help encourage more biking: congestion pricing, traffic demand management, speed management. In the last two years, bicycling and walking projects received around 9% of funding from the Carbon Reduction Program, about $130 million per year. Along with the entire Climate title, the bill repeals this program. 

Bike and Safe Routes Coordinators – UGLY 

The law requires every state DOT to have a bicycle and pedestrian coordinator. That requirement is still there but changes their title to Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Coordinator and changes their mission to only address safety concerns, and not – as was the case from 1991 until present – to promote active transportation. This gets an ugly because it is such a petty change!

The League also supported the Safe Routes Partnership bill to reinstate a requirement for states to have a full time Safe Routes To Schools Coordinator. In 2012, Congress removed that requirement. Since 2012, states that have retained statewide Safe Routes to School coordinator positions provide more robust programming, support implementation of infrastructure to support safe student travel near schools, and reach a wider array of communities, including small and rural communities, than states without statewide Safe Routes to School coordinators.

Neighborhood Equity and Access – UGLY 

Created by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, the Neighborhood Access and Equity (NAE) Program made $3.15 billion available to focus on improving community connectivity, especially in communities that had been made vulnerable by historic and/or contemporary policy, funding, and infrastructure decisions. In 2025, Congress moved to rescind all unobligated funding for NAE and this bill formally repeals authorization for the program. 

What Comes Next 

The committee marked up the bill on Thursday. Members of the committee introduced amendments to the bill and two potentially negatively impacting our issues failed, one on eliminating TAP failed 9-55, and another to eliminate SS4A failed 7-57. With the bill leaving committee, what we all learned from Schoolhouse Rock still stands: the bill would get a vote in the full House and if it passes it heads to the Senate, so on and so forth. The Senate will have their own version of the bill, though, and we have yet to see what the authors there have in mind for reauthorization.

But the authorizations enacted by the IIJA expire on September 30, 2026. Congress is highly unlikely to pass a new bill before then. Rather, we will likely see a continuing resolution extending the IIJA for a short amount of time while the House and Senate hash out their differences. 

Conclusion 

We knew this would be a difficult year for our priorities in reauthorization.Yet, the core of our work remains intact. It’s a testament to advocates at the local and state levels, and allies in Congress, who have made bicycling safety a non-negotiable at the national level. As we look to next steps, we’ll keep working to make sure those priorities continue to be reflected.

The post Our first look at transportation reauthorization appeared first on League of American Bicyclists.

Washington, DC — The League of American Bicyclists is proud to announce the latest round of Bicycle Friendly Business (BFB) awards, recognizing 44 organizations during National Bike Month. This round includes 13 new awardees, 9 businesses moving up in recognition level, and 22 renewing at their current level, bringing the total number of certified Bicycle Friendly Businesses nationwide up to 1,130.

Find the full list of current BFBs here, and the latest round of awards and Honorable Mentions here.

“During National Bike Month, we’re proud to recognize businesses that are helping bicycling thrive in their communities,” said Bill Nesper, executive director of the League of American Bicyclists. “From everyday encouragement to broader advocacy, Bicycle Friendly Businesses across the country are helping build a culture where more people feel welcome to get rolling.” 

From ice cream shops and breweries to hospitals and city halls, what sets a Bicycle Friendly Business apart isn’t what kind of organization it is; it’s how the business encourages people who bike and how it shows up for cycling in its wider community.

That spirit is especially visible during National Bike Month, when many Bicycle Friendly Businesses host Bike to Work Day breakfast stations, group rides, commuter challenges, and other events that bring people together around biking. 

Some organizations carry that momentum far beyond May. Bicycle Technologies International (BTI), a renewing Platinum-level BFB in Santa Fe, NM, described its “Summer of Bike” initiative as “a natural progression from Bike to Work Day, to Bike Week, and ultimately to Bike Month.” The initiative now includes more than 170 rides and events throughout the summer that help raise the visibility of cycling across Santa Fe.

It’s safe to say the best Bicycle Friendly Businesses don’t just think about supporting bicycling internally. This round features an impressive number of organizations going above and beyond to invest in cycling infrastructure, fund local advocacy, and help make biking a more viable option for everyone in their communities.

New Belgium Brewing’s Asheville, NC location (a renewing Platinum-level BFB) exemplifies this commitment at scale. Through its $1 Per Barrel program, the brewery distributed $158,000 in bicycle advocacy grants in 2025 alone, supporting community-based programs working to increase ridership, improve safety, and expand access, particularly in historically underserved communities. 

Smaller businesses are making an outsized impact, too. Fitchburg Family Pharmacy in Fitchburg, WI (a newly promoted Silver-level BFB) helped successfully advocate for and sponsor the expansion of the Madison BCycle bike share system into Fitchburg. There are now 21 stations in the city, including three within a half-mile of the pharmacy, allowing those without cars to access the pharmacy by bike. 

Across this round of awardees, businesses described bicycling as a way to improve employee morale, strengthen local economies, and build community resilience:

“Embracing our biking amenities and promoting biking as a major part of our brand for our community has contributed to the overall economic health of the community, the wellness of our residents, and has increased our visitor awareness of biking as a recreation and transportation option in Fitchburg.” — Fitchburg Chamber Visitor + Business Bureau in Fitchburg, WI (renewing Silver-level BFB)

“[One] positive outcome is our employees willing to donate their time to assist others in making repairs to their bicycles. During lunch, there were smaller groups that would ride for exercise or for just a leisure ride with co-workers. Observing this not only helps improve the health of our employees but improves morale within the workplace.” — Delaware Department of Transportation (renewing Silver-level BFB)

“By promoting bicycling, walking, and taking public transportation instead of driving alone, Jibe’s programs reduce single vehicle occupancy trips while cultivating a culture of livability in our community.” — North Natomas Jibe – Walk. Bike. Bus. in Sacramento, CA (newly promoted Platinum-level BFB) 

Participants enjoying the first annual Draft Picks Brewery Ride in 2025 in Fitchburg, WI DelDOT bicyclists at the 2024 Bike to Work Day in Dover, DE Earn-a-Bike Class 1:2 in 2025, copyright North Natomas Jibe

Want to join the movement and become a Bicycle Friendly Business? Applications for the next round are due June 3, 2026 at 11:59 PM PT. Learn more and apply at bicyclefriendly.secure-platform.com/a.

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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