11 Most-Improved Bike Networks in the US

PeopleForBikes has evaluated bike networks in thousands of cities across the United States and identified several that have achieved “incredible increases” in just a few years.

1 minute read

July 21, 2024, 7:00 AM PDT

By Mary Hammon @marykhammon


According to a recent article on PeopleforBikes.org, “Each year, PeopleForBikes’ City Ratings program evaluates thousands of communities worldwide on the quality of their low-stress bike networks through our Bicycle Network Analysis (BNA).

City Ratings data has revealed that 39 cities in the United States boosted their scores by at least 20 points between 2020 and 2024 through policy changes like Complete Street mandates, lower speed limits, and increased state and local funding, as well as implementation of strategies like protected bike lanes, reallocated space, intersection treatments, network connections, and data.

So which cities have earned the title of “most-improved bike network” between 2020 and 2024?

  1. Minneapolis, Minnesota (54-point increase)
  2. Saint Paul, Minnesota (52-point increase)
  3. Jackson, Wyoming (48-point increase)
  4. Bloomington, Indiana (45-point increase)
  5. Aurora, Illinois (40-point increase)
  6. St. Louis Park, Minnesota (40-point increase)
  7. Corvallis, Oregon (39-point increase)
  8. Key West, Florida (39-point increase)
  9. Coeur D'Alene, Idaho (39-point increase)
  10. Somerville, Massachusetts (38-point increase)
  11. Cambridge, Massachusetts (37-point increase)

For details on how these cities improved their scores, and for an impressive list of honorable mentions, check out the original article below.

Friday, July 19, 2024 in PeopleforBikes

portrait of professional woman

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. Mary G., Urban Planner

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.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Wastewater pouring out from a pipe.

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage

Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

April 13, 2025 - Inside Climate News

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Black and white photos of camp made up of small 'earthquake shacks' in Dolores Park in 1906 after the San Francisco earthquake.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees

More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

April 15, 2025 - Charles F. Bloszies

People walking up and down stairs in New York City subway station.

In Both Crashes and Crime, Public Transportation is Far Safer than Driving

Contrary to popular assumptions, public transportation has far lower crash and crime rates than automobile travel. For safer communities, improve and encourage transit travel.

April 18 - Scientific American

White public transit bus with bike on front bike rack in Nashville, Tennessee.

Report: Zoning Reforms Should Complement Nashville’s Ambitious Transit Plan

Without reform, restrictive zoning codes will limit the impact of the city’s planned transit expansion and could exclude some of the residents who depend on transit the most.

April 18 - Bloomberg CityLab

An engineer controlling a quality of water ,aerated activated sludge tank at a waste water treatment plant.

Judge Orders Release of Frozen IRA, IIJA Funding

The decision is a victory for environmental groups who charged that freezing funds for critical infrastructure and disaster response programs caused “real and irreparable harm” to communities.

April 18 - Smart Cities Dive