In Austin, Texas, a more than 400-mile bike network is being built in record time. As of September 2021, 215 miles of the all ages and abilities network were complete, connecting protected bike lanes, neighborhood bikeways and urban trails. Impressively, Austin was able to build the majority of those miles in just two years and is committed to investing $120 million to build another 200 miles by 2025.

A participant in PeopleForBikes’ Final Mile program — which helped five U.S. cities move faster, more efficiently and more equitably to build better mobility networks — Austin’s accomplishments were thanks to a coalition of community leaders, advocates, activists and local organizations. The whole process was buoyed by funding made available through voter-approved mobility bonds, a robust and transparent community engagement process and strong political will.

Alongside its crucial infrastructure work, the Austin City Council voted to reduce speed limits on residential streets to 25 mph. Austin’s shared, docked bicycle program, MetroBike, has also been reimagined to better integrate with transit as a first- and last-mile solution. MetroBike is undergoing several long-term bike share service improvements, including providing an all-electric fleet, expanding the number of bikes and stations, integrating with existing and planned Capital Metro transit services, improving services and reaching communities outside the downtown core.