According to the release, 55 new and renewing members of Bicycle Friendly Communities (BFCs) were announced, and Bloomington was among them. It is one of 326 communities across the United States to take part in the program.
The Bicycle Friendly America Program’s objective is to “listen and learn, define standards and share best practices to engage diverse communities and build a powerful, unified voice for change,” according to the ?release.
It strives to create a more bike-friendly environment across the entirety of the United States.
“Visionary community leaders are recognizing the real-time and long-term impact that a culture of bicycling can create,” said Andy Clarke, president of the League of American Bicyclists, in the release. “We applaud this new round of communities for investing in a more sustainable future for the country and a healthier future for their residents and beyond.”
The press release states that the BFC program “is revolutionizing the way communities evaluate their quality of life, sustainability and transportation networks.” The BFC’s system also allows for communities to benchmark their ?progress.
Bloomington received one of the higher benchmarks: the Gold award.
“The Gold BFC award recognizes Bloomington’s commitment to improving conditions for bicycling through investment in bicycling promotion, education programs, infrastructure and pro-bicycling policies,” the release reads.
There are five levels to the BFC awards, including bronze, silver, gold, platinum and diamond, so Bloomington currently falls in ?the middle.
“This award is a nice recognition of the dedicated efforts of so many people who work to make bicycling a safe and convenient way to travel around ?Bloomington and part of the fabric of our culture,” said Vince Caristo, Bicycle and Pedestrian coordinator at the City of Bloomington, in ?the release.
Bloomington has the highest-rated community for bicycle friendliness in the state of Indiana, according to the press release. In 2003 it was the first community in the state to be recognized as a Bicycle Friendly Community.
Anicka Slachta
