Just about everything about cycling in the United States – from bike paths and connected networks to the culture itself – is about 40 years behind peer nations in Europe. But that could change if cities and towns around the country prioritize building safe bicycle facilities to link more people and neighborhoods to more places.

Those are the highlights of a new report, “Benchmarking Bike Networks,” released on Wednesday by the League of American Bicyclists, that addressed the importance of safe bicycle infrastructure…

The report offers examples, guidelines and a summary of best practices for different street contexts based on traffic speed and traffic volume to help make it easier for communities to know how to build networks. If widely implemented, a strong infrastructure could increase safety and accessibility for cyclists, both for transportation and recreation.