Small towns outpace Atlanta in latest bikeability study
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Atlanta's made strides building bike lanes and other infrastructure to help people get around on two wheels, according to a national bicycle advocacy group.
- But we have a long way to go.
Why it matters: PeopleForBikes annually ranks cities around the globe and tracks whether people can realistically use bikes for everyday transportation, not just recreation.
The intrigue: Towns with fewer than 16,000 residents swept the top 10 spots in the 2026 best places to bike list, even under tougher national standards.
- Atlanta, one of this year's "eight cities to watch," scored 33 out of 100 points, ranking roughly 39th among large cities with a population of at least 300,000 people.
Senoia, Pine Mountain, Hapeville, St. Simons and Hiram earned the top scores in Georgia.
State of play: This year's rankings use a stricter methodology tied to the 2025 NACTO Urban Bikeway Design Guide, with tighter expectations for speed limits, lane design and network connectivity, the group said.
- PeopleForBikes scores measure the quality of a city's bike network, including protected bike lanes, off-street paths, slow shared streets and safe crossings that let people comfortably get around by bike.
- The updated methodology is meant to better capture what biking feels like in real life.
The big picture: Small communities dominated the top 10, suggesting that compact places with connected streets and easy access to daily destinations can outperform much larger cities.
By the numbers: Mackinac Island, Michigan (population 583); Old Orchard, Pennsylvania (2,406); and Crested Butte, Colorado (1,639) topped the list, each scoring a perfect 100.
- Big urban areas appear farther down the overall list — Brooklyn, New York, scored 70, followed by Minneapolis, Minnesota (68); Seattle, Washington (66); Queens, New York (63); and San Francisco, California (61).
The bottom line: The new ratings raise the bar for everyone: A bikeable city is one where the average resident can safely reach daily needs by bike, not just one with trails, lanes or a cycling reputation.