How can you design more bike-friendly communities using sustainable principles?

1 Assess the current situation

Before you can plan for improvements, you need to understand the existing conditions and challenges of your community. You can use various tools and methods to collect and analyze data on the current bike network, infrastructure, facilities, safety, demand, and user preferences. For example, you can conduct surveys, interviews, focus groups, or workshops with stakeholders, such as cyclists, residents, businesses, and local authorities. You can also use geographic information systems (GIS), bike counters, or mobile apps to map and monitor the bike routes, usage, and performance.

2 Set the vision and goals

Based on the assessment, you can identify the gaps and opportunities for enhancing the bike-friendliness of your community. You can then develop a vision and goals that reflect the needs and aspirations of the people and align with the broader sustainability objectives of your community. For example, you can set goals to increase the mode share, accessibility, connectivity, safety, and comfort of cycling, as well as to reduce the environmental and social impacts of car dependency.

3 Design the bike network and infrastructure

To achieve the vision and goals, you need to design a bike network and infrastructure that are convenient, safe, and attractive for cyclists of all ages and abilities. You can use various design principles and standards to guide your decisions, such as the level of traffic stress (LTS), the bicycle level of service (BLOS), or the network planning approach (NPA). You can also consider different types of bike facilities, such as bike lanes, cycle tracks, shared paths, bike boulevards, or bike boxes, depending on the context and the desired outcomes.

4 Implement the bike programs and policies

Besides the physical infrastructure, you also need to implement bike programs and policies that support and promote cycling as a sustainable mode of transportation. You can use various strategies and measures to encourage and enable more people to bike, such as bike education, bike sharing, bike parking, bike incentives, bike events, or bike advocacy. You can also use policies and regulations to integrate cycling with other modes of transportation, such as public transit, carpooling, or car sharing, and to manage the demand and supply of parking and road space.

6 Learn and improve

Finally, you need to learn from the evaluation results and feedback, and use them to improve your bike-friendly design. You can use various methods and techniques to communicate and disseminate your findings and recommendations, such as reports, presentations, newsletters, or webinars. You can also use platforms and forums to engage and collaborate with stakeholders, such as bike users, bike groups, bike experts, or bike partners, to share best practices, lessons learned, and innovative solutions for bike-friendly design.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?