To close out National Bike Month, the League of American Bicyclists is awarding 41 new and renewing Bicycle Friendly Communities (BFCs). Fourteen communities are receiving Honorable Mentions. With the latest announcement, there are now 450 BFCs in all 50 US states and the District of Columbia.
“With each new application round, we see the growing ways that American communities are supporting and promoting bicycling as a health, economic, environmental and equity solution for their residents and visitors,” said Amelia Neptune, Director of the Bicycle Friendly America (BFA) program. “From piloting new bikeshare technology to incorporating bike safety education to elementary school curriculum, the standards for the BFA program continue to rise as our 450 awarded Bicycle Friendly Communities lead the way in innovating bicycling improvements for everyone.”
Since the Bicycle Friendly Community program’s inception over 20 years ago, more than 700 distinct communities have applied for recognition. The program provides a roadmap to building a Bicycle Friendly Community for communities of all shapes and sizes. The rigorous application process is positioned as an educational tool in itself, and includes an opportunity for local bicyclists to provide input on their experiences and perceptions of bicycling in their community.
The five levels of the BFC award — diamond, platinum, gold, silver and bronze, plus an honorable mention category and a no designation level — provide an incentive for communities to continuously improve. The League of American Bicyclists provides feedback and guidance to every applicant community, regardless of award designation, with the goal of helping every community to improve. Awarded communities must renew their status every four years to ensure that they not only maintain existing efforts, but also keep up with changing technology, national safety standards and community-driven best practices.
