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Recreational Bicycling Access Tool to expand access to recreational bicycling across the U.S.

  • Ron 

Ed. – While the resources of this Recreational Bicycling Access Tool ARE extensive, a quick review of the region around BWN headquarters uncovered some notable misses for bike facilities, as well as one bike park that did not exist. We sent feedback to People For Bikes and are waiting for a response.

PeopleForBikes, with generous support from REI Co-op, is proud to announce the launch of the
Recreational Bicycling Access Tool, a first-of-its-kind resource designed to evaluate the
accessibility, quality, and connectivity of recreational biking facilities across the United States. In
development for the past three years, the new tool builds on PeopleForBikes’ existing work with
City Ratings, the Bicycle Network Analysis, and the Great Bike Infrastructure Project to help
communities make better data-driven decisions about where to invest in bike infrastructure.

The Recreational Bicycling Access Tool provides comprehensive data highlighting the current
state of recreational bicycling infrastructure at various geographic levels — ranging from census
tracts to congressional districts — and evaluates access using five key metrics:

● Facilities available within specific distance parameters.
● Miles of Trails the average resident can access.
● Miles per Person measuring trail access per 1,000 residents.
● Amenities available in proximity to facilities.
● Bike Parks available to the community.

The tool includes a wide range of facility types and categorizes them into four classes of
recreational opportunities: paved trails, unpaved roads, unpaved trails, and bike parks.

“The launch of the Recreational Bicycling Access Tool underscores our shared commitment with
PeopleForBikes to expand outdoor access for everyone in America,” said Alicia Harvie, head of
community and government affairs at REI Co-op. “It represents the most comprehensive
inventory of recreational facilities ever assembled in the U.S, enabling land managers and
cycling advocates alike to assess the types of facilities and amenities available in specific
geographic tracts. For communities across this country, this means faster, more informed
decisions to drive meaningful investments in biking infrastructure.”

The Recreational Bicycling Access Tool is intended for use by a broad spectrum of
stakeholders, from land managers and government staff to bike advocates and academic
researchers. It complements PeopleForBikes’ Bicycle Network Analysis tool, which measures
the quality of low-stress on-road bicycle networks in more than 2,500 global communities. Both
tools leverage data from OpenStreetMap, a real-time database leveraged by other service
providers including Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft.

“This tool significantly enhances our ability to drive progress on expanding recreational biking
infrastructure,” said Jenn Dice, president and CEO of PeopleForBikes. “By integrating the
Recreational Bicycling Access Tool with our Bicycle Network Analysis, we now have the data to
identify gaps, prioritize investments, and improve connectivity at scale. This is about turning
data into action — making sure every community has the tools to build better, more connected
networks of bike facilities that meet the needs of today’s riders.”

The Recreational Bicycling Access Tool is available now at recreation.peopleforbikes.org. To
learn more about the tool’s functionality and future plans to expand its capabilities, deepen the
tool’s analyses, and how it will increase access to great places to ride, join PeopleForBikes’
webinar on March 4 at 12 p.m. MT.

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