The League of American Bicyclists today announced the largest-ever round Bicycle Friendly Communities. According to the League's blog, 

"While communities from California to Connecticut joined the ranks of BFCs, the Mountain West rose above the rest, including two new Gold Level BFCs in Durango, Colo., and Missoula, Mont.

'We aren’t surprised that this was the largest number of new and renewing applicants that we’ve ever had,' said League President Andy Clarke. 'The popularity of this program is clear evidence that simple steps to make bicycling safe and comfortable pay huge dividends in civic, community and economic development.'

With this impressive round, there are now 214 BFCs in 47 states. By evaluating and recognizing investment in bicycling promotion, education programs, infrastructure and pro-bicycling policies, the BFC program is revolutionizing the way communities evaluate their quality of life."

Bikes Belong is proud to partner with this renowned program that encourages communities nationwide to improve their bike-friendliness.

In related Bike Week news, Walk Score, the only site that makes it easy for apartment renters and homebuyers to find neighborhoods where they can drive less and live more, announced today the long anticipated launch of Bike Score. Bike Score provides a quantitative measure of the bikeability of a location based on the availability bike lanes, hilliness, road connectivity, nearby amenities, and the percent of people in that area who bike to work.

“Bicycling saves money on gas and fosters better health and a cleaner environment. But the best part about it is not being trapped in traffic. Biking can turn your commute into the best part your day,” said Josh Herst, CEO, Walk Score. “Across the country, biking is growing in popularity and we’re excited to celebrate Bike to Work Week by introducing Bike Score to help more people find bicycle friendly places to live.”

The first 10 cities on Bike Score include:

1. Minneapolis (Bike Score: 79)
2. Portland (Bike Score: 70)
3. San Francisco (Bike Score: 70)
4. Boston (Bike Score: 68)
5. Madison (Bike Score: 67)
6. Washington, D.C. (Bike Score: 65)
7. Seattle (Bike Score: 64)
8. Tucson (Bike Score: 64)
9. New York (Bike Score: 62)
10. Chicago (Bike Score: 62)

"There's no doubt that Bike Score will add to the growing number of riders in these leading cities by helping everyday cyclists, and those who want to give biking a try, find bikeable neighborhoods and commutes," said Andy Clarke, president of the League of American Bicyclists, national sponsor of Bike to Work Week.

To request Bike Score for your city, visit walkscore.com/bike. Walk Score will add Bike Score for the top 10 most popular cities receiving votes between May 14 and May 31, 2012.