New Bicycle Friendly Communities Announced

May 1, 2008
The League of American Bicyclists has awarded 11 new communities with the prestigious Bicycle Friendly Community designation. Eleven additional communities renewed their designations, with Portland, Oregon, advancing to platinum. Bikes Belong is a lead sponsor of the Bicycle Friendly Communities program, which recognizes cities that support bicycling and works to replicate their successes.

“This round of awards brings into focus both the geographic and demographic diversity of designated communities,” League President Andy Clarke said. “These are all cities that are realizing the potential of bicycling to address the challenges of climate change, traffic congestion, rising obesity rates, and soaring fuel prices.”

The Bicycle Friendly Communities program is revolutionizing the way communities evaluate their quality of life and transportation network. These new winners bring the total number of current Bicycle Friendly Communities to 84, stretching across 31 states. The League awards this four-year designation to communities that have made impressive, measurable efforts to integrate bicyclists into the community. There are four levels—platinum, gold, silver, and bronze—awarded twice each year.

The new Bicycle Friendly Communities are:

Silver
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Durango, Colorado
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Bronze
Arcata, California
Bainbridge Island, Washington
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlottesville, Virginia
Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
Oxford, Mississippi
Port Townsend, Washington
Sitka, Alaska

Among the eleven communities renewing their designations, Portland, Oregon, is the exceptional standout, joining Davis, California, as the only cities in the nation to achieve the highest level. Portland is the first large city in the United States to gain the platinum designation, having demonstrated incredible progress in encouraging more people to bicycle and to ride safely.

“When Portland received the gold award in 2003, we challenged the community to increase ridership to get to platinum,” said Andy Clarke, President of the League. “Bold leadership, community-wide involvement, and a lot of hard work has resulted in a 144 percent increase in bicycle use since the 2000 Census—impressive results by any standard.”

The Bicycle Friendly Communities program was initiated in 2003 and has received applications from more than 213 communities. The program is generously supported by Trek Bicycles and Bikes Belong. For the complete list of Bicycle Friendly Communities and more information on the program, click here.
 
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