Having recently confirmed its 2017 Bicycle Friendly State Ranking, the League of American Bicyclists has announced 46 new and renewing Bicycle Friendly Universities (BFUs). There are now 182 BFUs in 45 US states and Washington, DC. According to the league, these are a cutting-edge group of colleges and universities across the United States transforming their campuses and the communities around them.
“From renewing Platinums to brand new Bronzes, this latest class of Bicycle Friendly University awardees show a wonderful commitment to safety, health and sustainability through their efforts to support bicycling on campus,” said Amelia Neptune, Director of the League’s Bicycle Friendly America Program.
“We applaud this round of BFUs for raising the standard and being innovative in making bicycling a safe, convenient and enjoyable option for students, staff and visitors alike.”
Two US states welcomed their first Bicycle Friendly Universities this round. South Dakota’s Black Hills State University in Spearfish and Rhode Island’s Brown University in Providence both achieved Bronze BFU status.
The University of California, Davis, continues to be one of the most bicycle friendly campuses in the United States, renewing its Platinum BFU status. The university prohibited car travel through most of the UC Davis campus 50 years ago. Only transit vehicles and the occasional maintenance and delivery vehicles are allowed — and even then, they are only allowed at limited times of the day. All the roads that used to thread in and around the campus are now car free and are ‘essentially really wide bike paths’.
The University of Montana in Missoula, a renewing Gold BFU, also has a largely car-free campus. As a bonus for this northern site. Here, most internal bike routes are located on pathways that are incidentally heated by the campus’s steam tunnel network. Internal bike routes do not accumulate snow as a function of this below-ground heat source.
The latest class of Bicycle Friendly Universities will maintain their 2017 awards through 2021, at which time they’ll be required to reapply to the BFU program to either maintain or improve their award status. In addition to the 46 new and renewing awards given this year, four campuses are being recognized as Honorable Mentions in 2017.
Campuses that receive no award or Honorable Mention are provided with feedback to improve and encouragement to re-apply to the BFU program after implementing the League’s feedback to earn the Bicycle Friendly University title.
www.bikeleague.org/university
www.bikeleague.org/BFA
