Among 30 largest US cities, Portland was reported to take the lead in terms of its biking community. The percentage of those that cycle to work more than doubled from 1.6% (2000) to 3.9% (2007) and then, jumped another 64% to 6.4% in 2008.
It’s a huge payback to the small investments made in terms of infrastructure and education to facilitate the community’s convenient transition, says city mayor Sam Adams.
If you are interested to find out where the bike friendliest communities are, check out the League of American Bicyclists website. They represent our nation’s 57 million (and counting) cyclists and aims to “promote bicycling for fun, fitness and transportation” through recognition, benchmarking, education and inspiration.
Curious which other communities are like bike-friendly Portland?
The organization conducts campaigns where communities that support biking are encouraged to submit applications to be evaluated on specific merits. The merits for their Bicycle Friendly Community (BFC) award are based on their 5 E’s – engineering, education, encouragement, enforcement, and, evaluation and planning. And there are 4 award levels – Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze.
The winning applicants get to keep the title for four years and will also receive two BFC road signs of highway quality. For those who are not awarded, they are given feedback and encouragement on the areas which need improving. Is your community listed among the top 13 Platinum / Gold BFC winners here?
League of American Bicyclists Top 13 BFCs
There are over 100 communities in the master list here, find out when and if your community made the cut.
Overall, check out how each state ranked via this link; which businesses were awarded and how they scored. This is especially helpful to gauge the level of commitment by each of the participating entities in the promotion of a “Bicycle Friendly America”. Whether we are seasoned or new cyclists, there is much to learn and do together to create a healthier, happier and richer nation, one community at a time.
Photo courtesy / Richard Drdul on flickr.
