High-Quality Bike Facilities Increase Ridership and Make Biking Safer

NACTO’s report, Equitable Bike Share Means Building Better Places for People to Ride (pdf) combines in-house research with analysis of other reports, and finds that:

• Riding a bike is getting safer as cities build better bike lane networks.
• Gains in bike safety are especially important for low-income riders and riders of color.
• More people ride when cities build protected bike lanes.
• Most people are “interested but concerned” about biking and would bike with higher-comfort facilities.
• Bike share systems should be matched with extensive protected bike lane networks to encourage ridership and increase safety.
• Bike share programs increase the visibility of cyclists, making riding safer for everyone.
• Mandatory adult helmet laws reduce bike ridership and don’t increase safety.
• Long-term engagement efforts, done by and with communities, can build support for necessary safety improvements.