It’s National Bike Month — Is Your City Safe for Cycling?

Getting more people on bikes requires safe, comfortable bike infrastructure and connectivity to transit.

2 minute read

May 2, 2024, 7:00 AM PDT

Green painted two-way bike lane with bike symbols and arrows.

May is National Bike Month, and cycling advocates around the country are both celebrating recent victories and calling attention to the work that remains to make U.S. bike infrastructure safe and comprehensive. While some cities have made significant strides in building out their protected bike lane networks and making it easier to connect biking with other transit options, others continue to lag behind. Despite a plethora of Vision Zero pledges, cyclist and pedestrian deaths remain at all-time highs in many parts of the country.

Which cities rate highest for bike infrastructure? Where do bike commuters use facilities the most? Where can you get a government subsidy for buying an e-bike? Find out below!

U.S. cities with highest 2023 PeopleForBikes bike scores:

Provincetown, Massachusetts
Crested Butte, Colorado
Blue Diamond, Nevada
Murdock, Nebraska
Ashland, Wisconsin
Jackson, Wyoming
Davis, California
Aspen, Colorado
Shorewood, Wisconsin
Ankeny, Iowa

Large U.S. cities with highest 2023 PeopleForBikes bike scores:

Minneapolis, Minnesota
San Francisco, California
Seattle, Washington
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Portland, Oregon
New York City, New York
St. Paul, Minnesota
Washington, D.C.
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Detroit, Michigan

U.S. cities with the highest percentage of bike commuters*

Portland, Oregon: 6.3%
Washington, D.C.: 5%
Minneapolis, Minnesota: 3.9%
San Francisco, California: 3.1%
New Orleans, Louisiana: 2.9%
Seattle, Washington: 2.8%
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: 2.6%
Tucson, Arizona: 2.5%
Oakland, California: 2.3%
Denver, Colorado: 2.2%

*This list is based on 2019 data, but conditions in some cities have changed since then.

U.S. cities with e-bike subsidies*

Alameda County, California
Berkeley, California
Contra Costa County, California
Healdsburg, California
Los Angeles County, California
Monterey County, California
Orange County, California
Pasadena, California
Redding, California
Riverside County, California
San Bernardino County, California
San Francisco, California
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Clara, California
Santa Cruz, California
Boulder, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
Atlanta, Georgia
Bloomington, Indiana (on hold)
Raleigh, North Carolina
Columbus, Ohio
Ashland, Oregon
Eugene, Oregon
Austin, Texas
Washington, D.C.

Additionally, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Rhode Island, and Vermont offer statewide incentives, and bills supporting e-bike rebates are making their way through more state legislatures.

*Some smaller incentive programs exist that may not be included in this list.

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Diana Ionescu

Diana is a writer and urbanist passionate about public space, historical memory, and transportation equity. Prior to joining Planetizen, she started and managed a farmers' market and worked as a transportation planner in the bike share industry. She is Planetizen's editor as of January 2022.

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I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

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