On May 31, as National Bike Month came to a close, the League of American Bicyclists recognized 45 cities and towns for earning Bicycle Friendly Community awards, plus five communities that earned Honorable Mentions. Two other communities applied in this round but did not receive recognition.
All five of the communities earning Gold-level awards this round are renewing Gold-level communities. Only eight of the 45 awardees earned upgrades, with four upgrading to Silver-level status and four upgrading to Bronze from previous Honorable Mentions. One community, Manassas, Virginia, is new to the program and earned a first-time Bronze-level award.
“One of the goals of the Bicycle Friendly America program overall is to encourage communities, businesses, and universities to continue improving conditions for people who bike. Every time we update what it takes to earn a Bicycle Friendly Community award, we see communities respond by building bigger partnerships, investing in infrastructure, expanding their outreach, and more,” said Bill Nesper, executive director of the League of American Bicyclists.
“We applaud the 45 Bicycle Friendly Communities that committed to the evaluation process and are striving to build a more Bicycle Friendly America for everyone alongside us.”
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With today's announcement, there are now 506 Bicycle Friendly Communities across the country. The Bicycle Friendly Community program is part of the League of American Bicyclists' Bicycle Friendly America (BFA) program, which also evaluates states, businesses, and universities. The League and our BFA program have been setting (and raising!) the standard for how places build and benchmark progress toward better bicycling for more than 25 years, receiving over 2,100 applications for new awards and renewals from over 860 unique communities to date.
Bicycle Friendly Community awards are maintained for four years, at which point communities must apply to renew or upgrade their award level. In the interim, it is expected that communities will take steps outlined in guidance and feedback offered by the League to improve their infrastructure, bike education, and equity efforts to be more welcoming to people who bike.
Submissions for the Fall 2023 round of the Bicycle Friendly Community program are due on August 30, 2023, at 11:59 PM PT.
To apply or learn more about the BFC program, visit bikeleague.org/community
For questions about this release or other media inquiries, please email communications@bikeleague.org
