Today, as part of National Bike Month, the League of American Bicyclists welcomes 114 new and renewing businesses from 30 US states and Washington, DC, to its Bicycle Friendly Business (BFB) program. Since 2008, over 1,500 businesses have earned the title; currently there are 1,199 businesses in all 50 states and the District of Columbia that hold a BFB designation.
“As we celebrate the tenth year of the Bicycle Friendly Business program, the League of American Bicyclists is proud to recognize our latest Bicycle Friendly Businesses,” said Amelia Neptune, Director of the Bicycle Friendly America program. “We applaud these workplaces for leading the charge in creating a more bicycle-friendly America for everyone.”
A number of companies with international reach have received awards this round, including Facebook’s Seattle office and the Eagan, MN, campus of Thomson Reuters, both new Gold BFBs. Moving up to Gold BFB status are Lexmark International in Lexington, KY, and 3M Company’s corporate headquarters in St. Paul, MN. Target’s corporate headquarters in Minneapolis has renewed its Platinum BFB status, first earned in 2014.
One strong sign of a business’s commitment to bicycling is when they apply for BFB status for some (or all!) of their locations to reach more employees. This round, three locations of Century Cycles, all in Ohio, renewed their Gold BFB status. Also coming in at Gold are seven locations of Race Pace Bicycles, all in Maryland. Two office locations of Alta Planning + Design received BFB awards this round, joining 11 other offices in nine different states that have earned BFB awards over the last several years, ranging from Bronze to Platinum. As a new Gold BFB, Facebook’s Seattle office joins its Menlo Park campus, which has been a BFB since 2012, and currently holds the Platinum status.
One of the tenets of a Bicycle Friendly Business is identifying barriers to biking and offering practical solutions for commuters. For many businesses, this includes providing education, encouragement and resources needed to help new riders feel more comfortable and confident.
For many businesses, breaking down barriers for commuters includes offering secure bike parking and end-of-trip facilities like showers and lockers for bicyclists.
Essential to the Bicycle Friendly America program is sharing lessons from businesses, communities, states and universities to help elected officials and community decision makers improve how they serve existing and potential cyclists.
Several communities showed strong pushes to engage new businesses through the Bicycle Friendly Business program this round, including Baltimore, MD, which gained six new BFBs, Iowa City, IA, which gained four, and St. Petersburg, FL, which gained 11 new BFBs this spring. Two states are getting their first Platinum BFBs. In Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh’s BikePGH has moved up from Gold, and in Columbus, GA, Ride on Bikes is debuting at Platinum BFB status.
Today, the League’s network of nearly 1,200 current Bicycle Friendly Businesses from around the United States each support bicycling in their workplace and their community and play a role in the movement to create a more bicycle-friendly America.
