Mayor Greg Ballard announced today that the City of Indianapolis has been named a Bronze-level Fall 2009 Bicycle Friendly Community by The League of American Bicyclists.
“We have made real progress during the past year toward becoming a more bicycle-friendly city, and also a more pedestrian-friendly city,” said Mayor Greg Ballard. “We are pleased to have earned a designation as a Bicycle Friendly Community and we will continue to expand our efforts to connect all of Indianapolis in such a way that riding a bike to work, to the grocery store and even to events downtown becomes mainstream.”
The League is recognizing 15 new Bicycle Friendly Communities and three BFC renewals in its fall 2009 award cycle.
“The League is proud to award Indianapolis for its work to promote bicycle safety and education while encouraging bicycling in their community,” said League President Andy Clarke. “The League congratulates Indianapolis and all of our BFC winners for implementing successful, long-term bicycle plans that provide quality of life improvements for their citizens.”
The BFC award recognizes Indianapolis’s commitment to improving conditions for bicycling and its practice of making a focused investment in bicycling programs and facilities. The BFC judges were particularly impressed with the city’s quick turnaround time in adding its first on-street bike lanes and with its comprehensive plan to construct at least 200 miles of on-street bike lanes throughout the city.
Clarke noted the impressive advances of all BFC applicants and said, “This round of applications had more communities in the east and Midwest than ever before that are investing wisely in bicycling – all areas of the U.S. are realizing the importance of bicycling.”
The BFC program is revolutionizing the way states and communities evaluate their quality of life, sustainability and transportation networks, while allowing them to benchmark their progress and work toward improving their bicycle-friendliness. The application process to become a BFC is rigorous; currently only 124 of the 318 total applicants have a BFC four-year designation. The renewal process and four levels of the award – platinum, gold, silver and bronze – provide a clear incentive for communities to continuously improve. The new and expanded BFC program began at the League in 1995, and in the past 14 years it has evolved into the tool it is today – evaluating, recognizing and improving cities, states and businesses.
The BFC program is supported by program partners Bikes Belong and Trek's One World Two Wheels Campaign. Applicants complete a detailed on-line form with numerous questions in five key areas: engineering, education, encouragement, enforcement, and evaluation/planning. Local cyclists, national experts, and League staff review the applications.
To learn more about the League’s Bicycle Friendly Community program, visit www.bicyclefriendlyamerica.org. The League of American Bicyclists promotes bicycling for fun, fitness and transportation, and works through advocacy and education for a bicycle-friendly America. The League represents the interests of America's 57 million bicyclists, including its 300,000 members and affiliates. For more information or to support the League, visit www.bikeleague.org.
To learn more about the City’s SustainIndy initiative and the comprehensive bike lane plan, visit www.sustainindy.org.
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