Bicycling Design Best Practices Project

Supporting U.S. innovations and international best practices in built cycling environments

In 2009, Bikes Belong launched an ambitious Bicycling Design Best Practices
Project. The goal is to increase bicycling use in America by encouraging state-of-the-art infrastructure that makes urban bicycling safer, more comfortable and more convenient.

Taking inspiration from the successes of Northern European countries in growing bicycle use and safety, the Project works to identify, evaluate, legitimize and disseminate best practices in bicycle facilities design and traffic control devices. In many Dutch cities, more than 30 percent of all trips are made by bicycle. In the German city of Muenster, the percentage of bike trips is even higher. Meanwhile, in the U.S., only about one percent of all trips are pedal powered. 

Countries such as the Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany have developed innovative facilities such as separate cycle tracks, bicycle-specific signal lights and cost-effective traffic-calming devices to make bicycling more comfortable and appealing to men and women of all ages. These nations are now realizing important, direct benefits from increased cycling, such as reductions in air pollution, road congestion, urban parking infrastructure costs, and better health and lower rates of obesity.

The Project also supports domestic innovations in bicycle infrastructure. Advanced U.S. bicycling cities such as Portland, Boulder, Minneapolis, and New York are leading the way in tailoring international design practices to their unique circumstances and seeing large increases in ridership as a result.

Broadening the range of tools available for bicycle infrastructure in U.S. cities and towns will give elected officials, transportation engineers, planners, designers and advocates and wide range of effective physical strategies for enabling more people to ride bicycles more often.

Transportation research trips

As part of the effort to inspire and provide U.S. transportation leaders with tools to grow bicycle use, Bikes Belong leads domestic and international research trips to experience firsthand the most advanced practices in bicycle urban design. Previous trips have visited the Netherlands and Germany and were guided by bicycle facility experts from Europe and the U.S.

Bikes Belong plans to expand its transportation research trips in 2010, and will invite key elected officials, planners, engineers, designers and policy makers to participate. After a trip, participants return home with new enthusiasm, ideas, and strong commitments to act to make bicycling better in their communities.

For more information about the Bicycling Design Best Practices Project, contact Zach Vanderkooy.