NACTO’s Cities for Cycling peer network is a vital resource for city staff to engage with one another, and rapidly raise the state of practice for bikeway design in North America.

Since the network was brought under NACTO’s stewardship in 2010 to develop the Urban Bikeway Design Guide, peers have regularly met to discuss experiences and lessons learned from their work, assist with the development of design guidance, and participate in highly-tailored programming opportunities, including webinars, digital design charrettes, in-city roundtables and roadshows, and NACTO’s annual Designing Cities Conference.

Why?

Bicycling is good for cities. Providing safe, comfortable, convenient places to bike is a cost-effective way for American municipalities to improve mobility, livability and public health for everyone using city streets.

Urban Bikeway Design Guide

Developed by and for cities, the Urban Bikeway Design Guide outlines state-of-the-practice solutions that can help create complete streets that are safe and enjoyable for bicyclists.

Designing for All Ages & Abilities

This guidance builds on NACTO’s Urban Bikeway Design Guide and sets an All Ages & Abilities criteria for selecting and implementing bike facilities.  It considers contextual factors on streets, allows planners and engineers to determine when, where, and how to best combine traffic calming tools with roadway design changes to reduce traffic fatalities and increase cycling rates and rider comfort.

Don’t Give Up at the Intersection

Expands on the NACTO’s Urban Bikeway Design Guide, adding detailed guidance on intersection design treatments that reduce vehicle-bike and vehicle-pedestrian conflicts, including protected bike intersections, dedicated bike intersections, and minor street crossings, as well as signalization strategies to reduce conflicts and increase comfort and safety.

Trainings

Atlanta (2014)
Charlotte (2014)
Portland (2014)
Champaign (2015)
Denver (2015)
Portland (2015)
Atlanta (2016)
Bloomington-Normal (2016)
Chicago (2016)
Georgia (2016)
Albany (2017)
Anchorage (2017)
Aurora (2017)
Chicago (2017)
St. Louis (2019)

Roadshows & Roundtables

Chicago (2011)
Atlanta (2012)
Austin (2013)
Indianapolis (2013)
Memphis (2013)
Oakland (2014)
Boston (2016)
Nashville (2016)
New Haven (2017)
San José (2017)
San José (2017)
St. Louis (2017)
Columbus (2018)
San José (2019)
Virtual (2020)

Endorsement Campaign

NACTO invites cities, states and counties to endorse this collection of design treatments for better bike facilities. This unified endorsement will push federal and state governments to recognize these best practices and ultimately make it easier to build safe, active, and livable streets. Read about the campaign.

Blog Posts

NACTO Sister Cities takes Columbus! (6/8/2018)

Public Webinars / Workshops

The Near Miss Project: Quantifying Cyclist Comfort and Safety (6/19/2017)
Cycling Equity: Barriers to Bike Access and Use in Communities of Color (8/15/2017)
Designing Streets for All Ages & Abilities (2/20/2018)
Jumping in with Both Pedals: Lessons from Rapid Implementation of Cycling Networks (12/20/2018)
They Didn’t Give Up at the Intersection (11/19/2019)
Slow, Shared, and Safe: Closing Streets to Thru-Traffic During the Coronavirus (4/22/2020)
Essential Movement: Building Temporary Bicycle & Pedestrian Facilities During COVID-19 (5/14/2020)
The Intersection of BAT Lanes and Bike Lanes – What Works? (#NACTO2020 NACTO Camp Session)
Pop-Up to Permanent: Delivering Lasting Impacts from Pilot Projects (#NACTO2020 Workshop)
Real Talk: Pilot to Permanent (#NACTO2020 NACTO Camp Session)

Press Releases / Public Statements

Cities Release Bikeway Design Guide (3/11/2011)
APBP Webinar on Bikeway Design Guide draws acclaim of practitioners, FHWA (5/31/2011)
NACTO President Sadik-Khan and U.S. Transportation Secretary Announce Release of Urban Bikeway Design Guide (10/14/2011)
Full Speed Ahead: NACTO Releases Second Edition of Urban Bikeway Design Guide (9/6/2012)
NACTO Releases New Guidance for the Next Generation of North American Bike Facilities (12/6/2017)
Don’t Give Up at the Intersection: NACTO Releases Best Practices for Next-Generation Street Intersection Design (5/20/2019)
NACTO Statement re: Mandatory Helmet Laws (11/8/2019)

Press

Which Bike Lanes Should Be Protected? New Guide Offers Specifics (Streetsblog, 11/1/2017)
New Design Guide Signals the Way to More Inclusive Bike Planning (Next City, 12/7/2017)
The Design Bible That Changed How Americans Bike in Cities (the Atlantic, 3/1/2018)
Transportation Leaders Demand Safer Crossings (Streetsblog, 5/21/2019)
NACTO releases guide to improve intersection designs (Smart Cities Dive, 5/22/2019)