For the past 20 years, the federal Transportation program has included dedicated funding for biking and walking. Over the course of twenty years and three federal transportation laws, federal support for bicycle- and pedestrian-friendly infrastructure projects has slowly ticked upwards. As a result, more and more communities feature safe roads for people who travel on foot or by bicycle and more people are bicycling — there has been a 40% increase in bicycling from 2000 to 2009 and a surge in Bicycle Friendly Communities.

In 1992, Congress passed ISTEA, the first federal transportation bill to include funding for transit, biking, and walking. As each consecutive transportation bill passed and continued dedicated funding for biking and walking, funding increased from $23 million for 50 new projects in 1992 to $297 million dollars and 971 projects in 2000, to a record $1.2 billion dollars and 3010 projects in 2009.

However, recently there has been a drop in funding and projects — since 2009 — as a result of the decline in stimulus spending that was available for a limited period and uncertainty over the future of the programs. A similar phenomenon occurred between 1997 and 2005. Now, however, a new transportation bill threatens to eliminate federal support for biking and walking infrastructure all together.

Next Thursday, the House Transportation Committee will vote (see timeline) on the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act, a bill that eliminates crucial funds for biking and walking. Representatives on the Transportation Committee are key positions to save dedicated funding for biking and walking.

The American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act, the long awaited multi-year Transportation bill, eliminates the two largest programs that fund biking and walking infrastructure — Transportation Enhancements and Safe Routes to School. Without these programs, communities all over the country will lose resources to build the sidewalks, crosswalks, and bikeways that make biking and walking safe and accessible in communities across the country.

We can’t let that happen  – take action now and ask your elected officials to preserve biking and walking.

Biking and walking are essential parts of everyday transportation in the U.S., and turning off federal funding for projects that keep Americans safe would represent a significant step backwards.

Federal funding for biking and walking keeps people safe. Two out of three pedestrian deaths take place on roads built with federal funding, and new sidewalks, crosswalks, and bikeways help end preventable deaths and make roads safer for everyone. Moreover, biking and walking make up 12 percent of all trips, but only 1.5 percent of all federal transportation funding.

America Bikes is working in conjunction with their partners to introduce an amendment that will preserve funding for biking and walking. During Thursday’s Transportation and Infrastructure Committee vote in the House, Representatives will have the opportunity to pass this amendment to save biking and walking.

To learn more about this issue and keep up-to-date as the bill moves forward, visit americabikes.org. And please, don’t forget to take action and share the action alert to your fellow bicyclists.

If you are a regular cyclist, work with or for cyclists, or are otherwise knowledgeable about bike issues – please consider becoming a BFA local reviewer.

Each application to the Bicycle Friendly Community, Bicycle Friendly Business or Bicycle Friendly University program is reviewed by a panel of national bicycle experts and several local reviewers are consulted to share their on the ground perspective of the applicant.

As a local reviewer, you may receive applications from communities, businesses and universities that you have specified. The time commitment of reviewing an application and providing input is approximately 30 min to 60 min and you will have 2-3 weeks to complete your review. Reviews are typically requested in February/March and July/August. All local reviews remain anonymous to allow for candid feedback.

Your input is very important to us and the BFA applicants. If you have been a local reviewer in the past or are knowledgeable about bike issues and would like to become a new reviewer, please sign-up here! Contact Nicole at Nicole@bikeleague.org  if you have any questions.

Four years from now, the eyes of the international cycling community and, to some extent, the world’s media, will be on Richmond. Hundreds of top riders from around the globe will descend on the region for not just the week of the championships but for weeks, months and even years in advance as preparations are made and training is completed. They will bring with them thousands of fans, spectators, team support, sponsors, media – and a lot of them are going to be riding the courses and checking out the Richmond area by bike. If the event took place today, I’m not sure the cycling world would be that impressed! Richmond certainly isn’t Copenhagen, which is where this year’s event is just wrapping up (Go Wiggo and Cav!).

Richmond has got four years to get its cycling act together! Fortunately, the city has a new bike plan underway, a newly hired bike coordinator, and a supportive Mayor and city council. The timeline is tight, but Richmond has a unique opportunity to put itself permanently on the map as a great cycling city – as a destination and a more livable and sustainable city – by using the excitement and urgency of the world championships coming to town. The local cycling community has always been active, and as the state capital Richmond is home to the Virginia Bicycling Federation and Bike Walk Virginia who cover the advocacy, education, and encouragement side of things really well; but this requires a whole new level of action and commitment from local cyclists, businesses and the local bike industry.

Just two hours away, I am sure that we’ll be doing what we can to help. The Bicycle Friendly Community and Bicycle Friendly Business programs are ideal blueprints for Richmond to follow (in our opinion, of course), and there’s a vibrant college scene that could make good use of the Bicycle Friendly University game plan. So, Richmond, Game On! Make us all proud.

Andy Clarke
League President

Clarke was appointed to the position of Executive Director in April of 2004 after successfully leading efforts to create, interpret and implement the various transportation programs that are available to improve conditions for bicycling and walking as the League’s State and Local Advocacy Director.

“We are proud of the roadmap that the Bicycle Friendly Community program provides for communities to build strong BFCs,” said Bill Nesper, Director of the League’s Bicycle Friendly America program. “We are especially pleased to see so many communities improving their award level.” New Orleans, La. has seen its number of bike commuters increase by more than 150% in the last five years. The city, which had received Honorable Mentions in three previous rounds, implemented the feedback we provided and received the bronze designation this time. New Orleans was recognized for their large biking population, bicycling education programs, a bicycling network that has tripled in length in the last three years and the strong bike culture seen in events like the NOLA Bike Bash.

In addition to the high percentage of new BFCs that had previously received no award or an Honorable Mention, more than half of the renewing BFCs moved to a higher award level including Breckenridge, Colo.; Scottsdale, Ariz.; Steamboat Springs, Colo. and La Crosse, Wis.

See all of the awardees after the jump:

2011 Fall Bicycle Friendly Community Winners

11 communities are awarded the BFC designation for the first time:

Bronze level

• Conway, Ark.
• Goshen, Ind.
• New Orleans, La.
• Omaha, Neb.
• Reno‐Sparks Washoe County, Nev.
• Saint Paul, Minn.
• Santa Fe, N.M.
• Sheboygan, Wis.
• Shorewood, Wis.
• The Woodlands, Texas
• West Windsor, N.J.

14 communities successfully renewed their designation and seven moved up to higher designations*

Platinum    

• Davis, Calif.

Gold

• Breckenridge, Colo.*
• Corvallis, Ore.
• Palo Alto, Calif.
• Steamboat Spring, Colo.*
• Scottsdale, Ariz.*

Silver

• Arlington, Va.
• Burlington, Vt.*
• La Crosse, Wis.*
• Redmond, Wash.*
• Sacramento, Calif.*
• San Luis Obispo, Calif.
• Tempe, Ariz.

Bronze

• Chattanooga, Tenn.

Meghan Cahill
League Director of Communications

Cahill joined the League in December 2008 and has a BA in Media Communications with a concentration in Italian Studies from the College of Charleston.

The third annual Ontario Bike Summit — Moving Ontario Forward – Building Bicycle Friendly Communities — has been taking place the past two days in Ottawa. The theme is right-on too. Ontario’s Share the Road organization has been working to incorporate the Bicycle Friendly Community program into their region, and the summit is a means to get more cities and advocates in Ontario involved. Because the Bicycle Friendly Community program is new to Canada, the summit’s purpose was to teach advocates how to:

• Develop a community cycling master plan
• Work more effectively with local governments to advance cycling
• Use data and research that will help “make the case” for enhanced cycling investments and programs
• Learn about the infrastructure, education and awareness and legislative policies in Ontario to encourage cycling
• Learn from example what other communities are doing in the areas of law enforcement initiatives – education and awareness – public health ideas, bicycle tourism?

Also in theme with the Summit, several Ontario Bicycle Friendly Communities were announced: Ottawa – Silver; Waterloo – Silver; Ajax – Bronze; Windsor – Bronze.

Find out more by following the live content from Ontario’s Cycle Citizen.

Meghan Cahill
League Director of Communications

Cahill joined the League in December 2008 and has a BA in Media Communications with a concentration in Italian Studies from the College of Charleston.

It is finally time to profile our fearless leader, League President Andy Clarke.

Hi, Andy. Another Bike Month is in the books. How did this year compare to Bike Months past?

I’m actually pretty excited by this year’s level of activity. Bike Month has been around for decades; it’s part of the calendar for a lot of clubs and advocacy groups and there’s always activity…yet we’ve never really capitalized on that with major national sponsors and participants. We’re still waiting for a national sponsor, but this year everyone from AAA to WalMart was doing something special for Bike Month. And here in DC the local Bike to Work Day soared to 11,000 participants, up from a record 9,000 the year before.

What’s your all-time favorite Bike Month memory?

Wow, that’s really a tough one – sad to say I’ve been through more than a few Bike Months in the USA now and even had a hand in three National Bike Week’s in the UK many moons ago. I’ll certainly never forget the sight of three [bipartisan] MPs and one Lord being bunny-hopped by a BMX rider at the kick-off event of one of those Bike Week’s! About five years ago, I remember the DC Bike to Work Day was marked by the most torrential rainstorm – I mean two inches of rain fell between 6am and 9am, it was ridiculous. I loved doing Bike New York one year…nope, it’s too hard to choose.

You traveled a lot this Bike Month. What did you see across the country? What impressed you most?

Lots of very encouraging work going on in communities and businesses to become more bike friendly – but I’d have to say the energy and enthusiasm generated by students at the University of Oregon and Arizona (in Eugene and Tucson respectively) was fantastic to see; and I think that’s why their Bicycle Friendly University awards were picked up by the University President himself in both cases. Tucson’s fledgling Living Streets Alliance is breathing new life into that region’s quest for “platinum” BFC status, and it looks as if Eugene is going get back to being a leading US bicycling community as it was in the 1980s.  That’s exciting to see.

Now that May is over, what can people do to continue the spirit of Bike Month all year long?

Simply keep riding; that’s the best advocacy of all.

As League President, what are you most proud of that the League has accomplished in the last several years?

This is more difficult than any of the interviews I’ve done for Bike Month. I’m really proud that the League is playing its part in the broader bicycling movement – the ever-expanding National Bike Summit, the blueprint provided by the Bicycle Friendly America programs, our education program are all contributing a lot and doing really well. Overall, the effectiveness and impact of the bike industry and advocacy groups has increased ten-fold in recent years, which is good because we have a lot still to do.

What are the biggest challenges facing bicycling advocates right now? What do we have going for us?

Well, we still struggle for relevance and are too easily overlooked, dismissed or short-changed in critical policy, funding and planning decisions in communities across the country – I’d have to say that’s especially true at the state level. What makes this so frustrating is the incredible value-for-money and cost-effectiveness that cycling offers in helping to solve so many of today’s challenges at the individual, local, state, regional and national level. But I remain optimistic we can effectively make the case for bicycling and that we’ll look back on 2011 as the year the bicycling light bulb went off in enough heads to really make a difference.

When and why do you ride your bike?

Mostly to and from work – it’s about 12 or 13 miles each way, so that hopefully keeps me in good enough shape that I don’t embarrass myself riding with our clubs or touring Bicycle Friendly Communities. I rode around 25 miles in Tucson a couple of weeks ago looking at their urban trail loop and was able to keep up! Beyond that, I like everything from riding with my daughter to school to tackling stages of the Tour de France (thanks, Trek Travel).

What’s the longest ride you’ve ever done?

Longest ride is probably cross country…although that was when I was living in England, so Lands End to John O Groats isn’t quite the same as Oregon to Virginia. I’ve done similar rides of about 1,000 miles – Tuscany back to the UK; Washington DC to Chattanooga with tent and the whole works.

What tips do you have for new bike commuters?

One word. Panniers. Forget the backpack and stylish messenger bag for anything other than a really short commute. Invest in a decent rack and bag to carry your stuff.

What do you typically wear to ride?

My daily commute is just a little too long for street clothes, so I’ll typically wear a t-shirt and bike shorts. For longer rides, the magical properties of lycra and chamois work for me, and I have no problem riding around town or to the stores in street clothes. Not something that’s a big deal or issue for me.

Anything else to add?

Enjoy the ride!

Thanks, Andy!

Read all of the staff profiles here.

Darren Flusche
League Policy Analyst

Flusche joined the League in April 2009 and has a B.A. in history from Syracuse University and a Masters of Public Administration with a concentration in public policy analysis from New York University.

Next up is Bill Nesper, Director of the Bicycle Friendly America Program.

Hi Bill, this is your ninth Bike Month with the League. How have you seen the event change over the years?

I think the biggest thing has been the growth in the number of communities and businesses that are promoting National Bike Month. There are a lot of creative ways to do it, too. Bike Month offers all sorts of opportunities for communities, states, businesses and universities to promote bicycling, from simply proclaiming May as Bike Month to community rides and offering incentives to cyclists. Everybody can find a way to celebrate.

What are you enjoying about this year’s Bike Month?

I am enjoying seeing social networking become such big tool for organizing and promoting events. Already this month we have seen tons of events popup on our event calendar.

You can follow Bike Month on Twitter with #BikeMonth.

As the director of the Bicycle Friendly America Program, can you give a few examples of cities that really impress you with their Bike Month festivities?

There are so many. A few to bring up are Eugene, OR, Greenville, SC, and Pittsburgh’s CEO Bikepool Challenge. Also, Bicycle Friendly Business Kimberly-Clark, in partnership with the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin, has launched a statewide Scott Brand Get Up and Ride Wisconsin Bike Challenge.

Lots of public officials participate in Bike Month events. Any notable examples?

A big Bike Month highlight for me so far was kicking off Bike Month in Minneapolis at the Active Living Bike Expo where I presented Minneapolis Mayor RT Rybak with the Gold Bicycle Friendly Community designation. Mayor Rybak is a real champion for bicycling and has made the city a model – in a all-weather environment. One cool thing he has done is compete as a bike commuter in the city’s Commuter Challenge – see the video (warning: It’s long and shaky).

When and why do you ride your bike?

Biking for me has always been primarily about transportation, first as a teen getting the freedom to get out by myself to now getting to work, going to the store and transporting my two year-old to the better playgrounds in other neighborhoods. I have to add that there was a period of childhood recreational riding which was based on making ramps to jump on the street in front of my house.

What’s the longest ride you’ve ever done?

I don’t want to point any fingers but my longest rides are those done in places where bicyclists are not accommodated or worse, driven out of the transportation system by angry drivers, poor planning/engineering, etc. We all know these places.

Happier answer: A century…ehem, metric century that is. Sixty-something miles at El Tour de Tucson a few years back.

What tips do you have for new bike commuters?

If you want to be a bike commuter, make a commuting buddy who is already doing it in your neighborhood or workplace give you the lowdown. Bikeleague.org is great for learning important riding tips and finding a cycling class near you. Also, it is important to be visible but do not worry so much about what you wear. If you like Lycra go for it, if you like riding in a sport coat or dress, or whatever, go for it. Lastly, if you want to commute and your town is really not giving you what you need, show up at council meetings, write letters, find an advocacy group near you to join and use the Bicycle Friendly Community program as a roadmap for improvement.

What do you know now that you wish you knew before you started to ride frequently?

Most trips that we make are pretty short and easy to do on a bike. Honestly, my nine-mile commutes, which are the biggest trips of my week, take about 35 minutes and I feel great when I get there.

What do you typically wear to ride?

For my work commute, I usually wear shorts and a tee shirt (add a couple layers and wind pants/jacket in the colder months) and change when I get there.

For most other trips I wear what I am going to want to be in when I get there.

Thanks, Bill!

Darren Flusche
League Policy Analyst

Flusche joined the League in April 2009 and has a B.A. in history from Syracuse University and a Masters of Public Administration with a concentration in public policy analysis from New York University.

The Minnesota winter can’t stop them: Minneapolis receives the Gold-level Bicycle Friendly Community designation

The best biking cities of the East race toward Gold: Boston, New York City and Washington, D.C. all receive Silver-level designations

The League of American Bicyclists announced the latest round of Bicycle Friendly Community (BFC) designations today to kick off May as National Bike Month. This was one of the strongest groups of applicants we’ve seen with a lot of solid projects and programs from communities all across the country – from 1,200 people in Sisters, Ore. to more than 8 million in New York City. Twenty-one communities received awards, out of 45 new applicants. Minneapolis, Minn. earned a gold-level award, the highest award of this round. “We are thrilled to see Minneapolis reach a gold-level Bicycle Friendly Community designation,” said Bill Nesper, director of the League’s Bicycle Friendly America Program. “The city’s great investments in bike lanes, bicycling safety education, and encouragement programs have paid off for its residents. In fact, communities across the country are now looking at Minneapolis as a model.”

Under the leadership of Mayor R.T. Rybak, Minneapolis was first designated as silver-level BFC in May 2008. “We’ve made a deliberate effort to be one of the nation’s top bicycling cities, and those investments mean we have more and more ways for people to commute and experience the city on two wheels,” said Mayor Rybak. Thanks to the city’s efforts, Minneapolis has doubled its number of bicycle commuters over the last nine years, placing it behind only Portland, Ore. among the largest cities in the U.S.-no small feat for a city with a notoriously harsh winter.

East Coast Cities Earn Silver Designations and Race to Gold

To date the Eastern United states has had very few silver-level Bicycle Friendly Communities and no gold-level BFCs. That’s beginning to change. Today, the League of American Bicyclists gave Boston, New York City, and Washington, D.C. silver- BFC designations. The cities are now competing to be the first to earn gold.

Since Mayor Thomas Menino launched Boston Bikes in 2007, the city has added 38 miles of facilities and has seen a spike in bicycle ridership. Bicycle commuting grew by 125 percent between 2005 and 2009 – and is at a level four times the national average. In 2010 alone, Boston installed 20 miles of bike lanes, incorporating numerous best-practices like cycle-tracks, bike boxes, colored bike lanes, buffered bike lanes, and special treatments over trolley tracks and at high-crash intersections. With 29 pre-existing miles of multi-use paths, the network now totals nearly 67 miles. All this helped Boston earn silver in its very first BFC application.

New York City has long been known for innovation and it is now applying that spirit to promoting bicycling. Under the Commissioner of the New York City Department of Transportation, Janette Sadik-Khan, the city has made great strides since their 2004 honorable mention and 2007 bronze award. “Moving the needle on bicycling in a city the size of New York City is nothing short of remarkable, and the city is one of the very few that has jumped two award levels,” said Andy Clarke, president of the League of American Bicyclists. “With the imminent arrival of bike sharing and the continued expansion of the bikeway network, Gold is not far away.” New York City developed an in-depth crash analysis, distributed 45,000 copies of the BikeSmart Guide to Cycling, and built an unprecedented amount of new and innovative bicycle facilities. In 2010, the NYCDOT installed more than 50 miles of bike infrastructure citywide, including protected on-street bicycle paths on First and Second Avenues, Columbus Avenue and Prospect Park West. The city has a nation-leading 500 miles of bike lanes.

Washington, D.C. first received a Bronze BFC award in 2004. Over the last seven years, it unveiled several signature projects including buffered bike lanes on Pennsylvania Avenue connecting the White House and the Capitol Building, a world-class bike parking facility, Bikestation, and the largest public bike sharing system in the country. These major projects are supported by an extensive bicycling education and encouragement program for children and adults. Washington now has the highest share of bicycle commuters of any major city on the East Coast.

To date, the League of American Bicyclists has received 452 applications and designated 179 Bicycle Friendly Communities in 44 states. The BFC program recognizes communities that promote bicycling and provides technical assistance in the form of a roadmap to help cities build great communities for bicycling. The League has identified projects, policies, programs and plans that most effectively improve cycling conditions and make up the foundation of a bicycle-friendly community. All of these bicycle-friendly elements are clearly described in the League’s Bicycle Friendly America: The Blueprint. Communities are using these building blocks. Standout communities that moved from previous BFC Honorable Mentions to an award-level this round include: Des Moines, Iowa; Harrisonburg, Va.; Hilton Head Island, S.C.; Las Cruces, N.M.; Norman, Okla.; Northampton, Mass., and Tybee Island, Ga.

About the Bicycle Friendly America Program

The Bicycle Friendly Community, Bicycle Friendly State, Bicycle Friendly Business and Bicycle Friendly University programs are generously supported by program partners Bikes Belong and Trek Bicycle’s One World, Two Wheels Campaign. To learn more about building a Bicycle Friendly America, visit http://www.bikeleague.org/programs/bicyclefriendlyamerica/

The full list of winners can be seen below. For more information, contact Meghan Cahill at 202.621.5452 or meghan@bikeleague.org.

2011 Spring Bicycle Friendly Community Winners

21 communities are awarded the BFC designation for the first time:

Silver Level

• Boston, Mass.
• Sisters, Ore.
• Hilton head Island, S.C.

Bronze level

• Athens & Clarke County, Ga.
• Cupertino, Calif.
• Des Moines, Iowa
• Eau Claire, Wis.
• Fresno, Calif.
• Harrisonburg, Va.
• City & County of Juneau, Alaska
• Kansas City, Mo.
• Keene, N.H.
• Las Cruces, N.M.
• Los Altos, Calif.
• Norman, Okla.
• Northampton, Mass.
• Raleigh, N.C.
• Sedona, Ariz.
• Somerville, Mass.
• Tybee Island, Ga.
• Wilmington, N.C

*Ten communities successfully renewed their designation and three moved up to higher designations

Gold

• Minneapolis, Minn.*

Silver

• New York, N.Y.*
• Washington, D.C.

Bronze

• Beaverton, Ore.
• Carmel, Ind.
• Lexington & Fayette County, Ky.
• Mesa, Ariz.
• Roswell, Ga.
• Shawnee, Ks.
• South Sioux City, Neb.

Spring 2011 Honorable Mentions

• Apple Valley, Minn.
• Carson City, Nev.
• Chula Vista, Calif.
• Cottonwood, Ariz.
• Elmhurst, Ill.
• Fernandina Beach, Fla.
• Frederick, Md.
• Gahanna, Ohio
• Huntsville, Ala.
• Mankato / North Mankato, Minn.
• Onalaska, Wis.
• Peachtree City, Ga.
• Rosemount, Minn.
• Troy, Ohio
• Tuscaloosa, Ala.
• Warrenville, Ill.
• Wilmington, Del.
• South Windsor, Conn.
• Windsor, Calif.

Darren Flusche
League Policy Analyst

Flusche joined the League in April 2009 and has a B.A. in history from Syracuse University and a Masters of Public Administration with a concentration in public policy analysis from New York University.

But what if you could use your love of bicycling to guide your choices and possibly lead you to bracketological glory? Well, that’s where the official 2011 Bicycle Friendly America Bracket Guide comes in. Thanks to our new Bicycle Friendly University (BFU) Program, we can tell you which schools are champions of bicycle-friendliness.

The first ever Bicycle Friendly Universities were announced last week at the National Bike Summit. Five of the 20 Bicycle Friendly Universities made it to the tournament, along with four campuses that received an Honorable Mention. To make sure we had representation from each region on the bracket, for tie-breakers, and to make things more interesting, we also consider Bicycle Friendly Community (BFC) status and whether the campus is a Bicycle Friendly Businesses (BFB).

We put all this data into our computers – we have a room full of statisticians on hand just for this purpose – and arrived at the dead-on, can’t miss, sure thing Bicycle Friendly Final Four.

Before we show you the results, let’s see how BFU’s are distributed across the bracket’s regions. All predictions are based solely on bicycle-friendliness. We’ll leave basketball predictions to ESPN. Note that Bicycle Friendly University status is favored over Business and Community recognition in our predictions.

EAST REGION

The first head-to-head bicycle-friendly challenge won’t come in the east until the elite eight when Washington faces Kentucky. The University of Washington is a Silver Bicycle Friendly University in Gold BFC Seattle. The University of Kentucky campus is a Silver Bicycle Friendly Business in Bronze BFC Lexington, KY – they also received an Honorable Mention for BFU. This will be a tough match up.

We expect Washington’s Silver BFU status to carry it through.

WEST REGION

In the second round in the west, Texas, which received a BFU Honorable Mention, will take on Silver BFU Arizona. Silver-rated Arizona will advance to face Honorable Mention BFU and Bronze BFC (Durham) Duke. Duke ranks in two categories, while Arizona ranks highly as a BFU and is located in Gold-level Tucson. This will be another tough match up. By vigilantly ignoring basketball talent, we’ll give the advantage to Arizona.

BFU Honorable Mention Cincinnati will cruise into the Elite Eight, where we expect them to be bested by Arizona, who will advance to the Final Four.

SOUTHWEST REGION

The Southwest presents a challenge for us. There are no Bicycle Friendly Universities in the region, but there are a number of Bicycle Friendly Communities. Kansas is located in Bronze BFC Lawrence. Florida State is in Bronze BFC Tallahassee. Notre Dame is in Bronze BFC South Bend. Bronze BFC Washington, DC is the home of Georgetown.

The competition here will come in the Sweet Sixteen, when Illinois – based in Champaign (BFB for city government and their Mass Transit District) and Urbana (Bronze BFC) – sees Louisville, a BFC and BFB.

This is another tough one, but we’re going with Louisville.

SOUTHEAST REGION

The southeast is home to some heavy hitters. Michigan State is a Bronze BFU. They will face UC Santa Barbara in the second round. Santa Barbara is stacked. The university is a Gold BFU and a BFB, and the city is a Silver BFC.

Santa Barbara will go on to face Wisconsin in the Elite Eight. The University of Wisconsin is a Silver BFU and a Silver BFB in Gold BFC Madison. This is the throw-down of the tournament so far. Both locations have BFU, BFB, and BFC clout. For the tie-breaker, we’ll go the Bicycle Friendly State (BFS) ranking. For two years in a row Wisconsin was the second highest ranked BFS.

Advantage Wisconsin.

FINAL FOUR

We now present to you our Bicycle Friendly Final Four selections. You can dispute these conclusions and come up with your own list and your own choices. But you wouldn’t doubt science, would you?

Washington

The University of Washington has both quality and quantity when it comes to their end of trip facilities including 600 bike locker spaces, 2 card-access bike cage stations, a bike-parking ordinance and DIY bike repair stations around campus.  UW hosts a number of well attended bike-related events including the “ride in the rain” event, enforcement outreach and Bike to Campus Month.  The U-Powered U-PASS program provides incentives to people who regularly bike commute including local discounts, commuter challenge prizes, free bicycle education classes and campus shuttle access.

Arizona

The University of Arizona has put a lot of effort in to education and enforcement on campus, exemplified by their “light the night” bike light give-away and permanent student-run bike valet station. The first month of every semester focuses on education, while the second month follows-up with targeted enforcement. Bicyclists receiving a citation are able to take a safety course as a diversion program. With 5 full time staff and 10 part-time students working on the bike program at the University of Arizona, they are continuing to expand their campus bike-share program and beginning to development a Master Plan.

Louisville

Louisville’s Mayor hosted the first-ever regional Bicycle Summit in Louisville in 2005 and the city has been picking up steam since then, including the creation of a bicycle task force.  The city has committed to $85 million in projects over the next ten years with over $20 million already raised and matched by private donors. The city is developing a 100-mile “Metro Loop” trail to encircle the entire county, more than half of which is either complete or under development.

Wisconsin

The University of Wisconsin offers guaranteed ride home and bike locker packages, they regularly distribute safety materials and provide smart trip route planning for employees.  With over 10,000 spots scattered in front of nearly every building on campus, bike parking is ubiquitous in the form of bike lockers, bike cages and covered bike racks. The campus has a number of events over Bike to Work Week, including bike-in movies and an organized ride led by the University’s Vice Chancellor.  UW Madison also refurbishes donated bikes to continually expand their campus bike-share program.

So there you have it.

Washington, Arizona, Louisville, and Wisconsin WILL make it to the final four. It’s pretty much a sure thing. Or at least as likely and picking which team has the coolest name.

Also, see March Madness for Urbanists.

Darren Flusche
League Policy Analyst

Flusche joined the League in April 2009 and has a B.A. in history from Syracuse University and a Masters of Public Administration with a concentration in public policy analysis from New York University.

Just last week I was treated to a bike tour from the city’s Acting Bicycle Program Coordinator Hayes Lord. Though I’m a frequent visitor of the city, and there seems to be new pathway or separated lane each time I go. On this particular tour, Hayes showed me the 1^st and 2^nd Avenue separated lanes that were still being installed as we rode by. There is no doubting the impact these types of facilities are having in drawing out new cyclists. That draw is part of the reason for new political support in addressing safety and throughout the city.

While the separated facilities in Manhattan often receive the most attention, NYC DOT has been busy installing and mapping a variety of infrastructure treatments. Using all the tools in their toolbox they’ve helped make it possible to safely bike in all 5 boroughs via low trafficked streets, a system of sharrows and routes, access across bridges, cycletracks, and other separated facilities as well as standard bike lanes. Clarence Eckerson Jr. of Street Films has a great new video showing how his commute uses a mixture of these facilities and how they work.

How does this compare to your commute where you live? Are there examples in the video that could translate into your community?

Jeff Peel
State and Local Advocacy Coordinator

Peel joined the League in March 2008 as a Program Specialist for the Bicycle Friendly Communities program. Peel has a BA in American Studies from the University of Southern Mississippi.