Bicycle Friendly Community Ideabook by League of American Bicyclists

TRANSFORM YOUR COMMUNITY INTO

THE LEAGUE OF AMERICAN BICYCLISTS PRESENTS THE

BICYCLE FRIENDLY COMMUNITY IDEABOOK A GREAT PLACE TO RIDE A BIKE!

TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION

PART TWO

PART THREE

BUILDING INFRASTRUCTURE FOR BIKING

BUILDING SUPPORT BY SUPPORTING BICYCLISTS

Connecting Networks: Community Case Studies

The Fundamentals: Access to Bikes & Repair Services

Why Focus on Better Bicycling?

Planning for Connectivity

Increasing Transportation Independence and Opportunities

How do BFCs Bring Change?

Connecting Neighborhoods

Bringing Bike Share to Rural Communities

BFC Facts

Connecting Communities: Regional Coordination Across BFCs

Equitable and Accessible Bike Share for All

How to Use the BFC Ideabook

Connecting Details: Equity & Accessibility in the Built Environment

The 5 E Framework

Demonstrating Success with Pop-Up Infrastructure

Building New Riders: Youth Education Round-up

The Ideabook’s Structure

In-School Programs

The End Goal

About the Bicycle Friendly Community Program

A Bicycle Friendly Community Ideabook

Who is the League?

PART ONE BUILDING A BICYCLE FRIENDLY COMMUNITY FOR EVERYONE

Building Systems to Support a Better Built Environment

After-School Programs

Writing Progress into Policy: Low-Stress Bike Networks

Summer Programs

Writing Progress into Policy: Bike Parking

Staffing to Sustain Success

Building Demand through Programming and Partnerships

Funding for the Future

Partnerships to Support New Cyclists and Build Bike Culture

Engaging Bicycle Friendly Businesses

Equity Data & Analysis Tools

Home-Grown, Community-Led Programming

Developing Equity Analysis

The Bicycle Friendly Community Program

Racial Equity & Social Justice Initiative Tool & Trainings

Equity Indicators Dashboard Tracks Racial Disparities

In Conclusion

Mapping Equity Data

Prioritizing Equity in Funding Decisions

Appendix

City of Minneapolis 20 Year Streets Funding Plan: 2018 Scoring Framework

24 Join Our Mission

About Active People, Healthy NationSM

Empowering Citizens to Become Changemakers

Inclusive Engagement

Hyperlocal Collaboration and Community-led Planning

Bridging Equitable Development

ABOUT THE BICYCLE FRIENDLY COMMUNITY PROGRAM

A BICYCLE FRIENDLY COMMUNITY IDEABOOK This Bicycle Friendly Community Ideabook aims to help communities learn about projects, policies, and programs that have been successfully used by peer communities around the country to better support people riding bikes.

The League of American Bicyclists developed this resource with funding and support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity. These efforts are part of the Active People, Healthy NationSM Initiative that is working to help 27 million Americans become more physically active by 2027.

This resource showcases proven and practical ways local governments can make their community safer, healthier, more equitable, and more sustainable by making bicycling a real transportation option. For local changemakers, this resource can be a tool to suggest and champion these ideas, and to help inspire local decision makers to implement these changes.

This book highlights a number of ideas from a selection of communities and partner organizations that have participated in the League of American Bicyclists’ Bicycle Friendly America® program over the past five years. The stories highlighted in this book represent communities in urban, suburban, and rural areas across America, representing cities, towns, tribal nations, counties, and regions of a wide range of sizes, geographies, climates, and demographics. A complete list and map of communities highlighted in this book, along with links to all sources and resources referenced, can be found online at: bikeleague.org/BFCideabook.

ABOUT THE

BICYCLE FRIENDLY COMMUNITY PROGRAM  WHO IS THE LEAGUE?  WHY FOSTER THIS PROGRAM?  HOW DO BFCs BRING CHANGE?  BFC FACTS

ABOUT THE BICYCLE FRIENDLY COMMUNITY PROGRAM

WHO IS THE LEAGUE? Since 1880, the League of American Bicyclists has been people-powered, with a goal to make bicycling safer and easier as a means of transportation and recreation. Today, the League continues to improve lives and strengthen communities through bicycling. We are more than 200,000 members and supporters strong with more than 1,000 state and local advocacy groups and bike clubs as well as thousands of businesses, universities, and communities together leading the movement to create a Bicycle Friendly America for everyone.

League of American Bicyclists staff at the MLK Jr. Library in Washington, DC.

ABOUT THE BICYCLE FRIENDLY COMMUNITY PROGRAM

WHY FOCUS ON BETTER BICYCLING? Across the U.S., local governments increasingly recognize bicycling as a solution to many complex problems: bicycling offers additional mobility options for residents and visitors, addresses social and economic inequities, improves health outcomes by increasing physical activity, and mitigates the environmental harms of a car-centric transportation system.

For nearly thirty years, communities and organizations looking to reap these benefits have turned to the League’s Bicycle Friendly America (BFA) program for guidance and assistance. The BFA program is a tool for states, communities, business and universities to make bicycling a real transportation and recreation option for all people and it recognizes those places doing it well. The BFA program provides local governments and change makers with a roadmap and hands-on assistance to build places more welcoming to people who bike through four distinct programs within it: Bicycle Friendly State®, Bicycle Friendly Community®, Bicycle Friendly Business®, and Bicycle Friendly University®.

Since 1995, more than 850 communities have applied to the Bicycle Friendly Community (BFC) program as a way to benchmark their current efforts and to receive feedback from the League of American Bicyclists on how to do better. While many people know the BFC program as an awards program—qualifying communities receive recognition ranging from Bronze to Diamondlevel award status if they meet the program’s criteria— the BFC program is about much more than recognition, it is an educational tool and resource to help motivate and guide communities to improve.

ABOUT THE BICYCLE FRIENDLY COMMUNITY PROGRAM

HOW DO BFCs BRING CHANGE? The BFC program requires aspiring communities to complete a comprehensive online application, which is then evaluated by a team of expert reviewers, and paired with a public survey to allow local bicyclists and potential bicyclists to share their input on how well their community supports bicycling and what changes are needed to improve. Only 37% of first-time applicant communities receive a BFC award level of Bronze or higher. The remaining 63% of first-time applicants either receive Honorable Mention status or no designation at all. The League provides every

applicant, regardless of award status, with feedback outlining recommendations on the key actions the community should take to become safer and more welcoming for bicycling. Communities that do not receive a BFC award are encouraged to take the time they need to implement the League’s recommendations before reapplying to the program for recognition later. Once communities receive an award of Bronze or higher, they are required to renew their BFC status through a new application every four years to maintain or improve their award status.

37%

AWA R D E D B R O N Z E OR HIGHER

BICYCLE FRIENDLY COMMUNITY BRONZE

THE MAJORITY OF FIRSTTIME APPLICANTS DON'T EARN A BFA AWARD

THE LEAGUE

OF AMERICAN BICYCLISTS

63%

HONORABLE MENTION O R N O D E S I G N AT I O N

ABOUT THE BICYCLE FRIENDLY COMMUNITY PROGRAM

BFC FACTS

349

116 5

BICYCLE FRIENDLY COMMUNITY PLATINUM THE LEAGUE OF AMERICAN BICYCLISTS

BICYCLE FRIENDLY COMMUNITY GOLD

THE LEAGUE

OF AMERICAN BICYCLISTS

BICYCLE FRIENDLY COMMUNITY SILVER

THE LEAGUE

OF AMERICAN BICYCLISTS

BICYCLE FRIENDLY COMMUNITY BRONZE

506 As of May 2023, 506 communities across all 50 states and the District of Columbia hold current BFC awards in the Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum designations. No community has yet received the Diamondlevel BFC award status.

BICYCLE FRIENDLY COMMUNITY DIAMOND THE LEAGUE OF AMERICAN BICYCLISTS

THE LEAGUE

OF AMERICAN BICYCLISTS

HOW TO USE THE BFC IDEABOOK  THE 5 E’S FRAMEWORK  CONTENT ORGANIZATION / THE IDEABOOK’S STRUCTURE

ENGI

HOW TO USE THE BFC IDEABOOK

RI ED

N O I AT

THE 5 E FRAMEWORK

E N CO U RA

G EM

AT Q

TY I U

& AC

S SI BIL

ITY

 Equity & Accessibility

 Education  Evaluation & Planning

PLAN

E VA L U

 Engineering  Encouragement

& N O

The BFA program relies on the “5 E Framework” to determine award levels and provide feedback to participating communities:

LOOK FOR THESE 5 E ICONS ON EACH CASE STUDY WITHIN TO LEARN WHICH "5 E" CATEGORIES THAT CASE STUDY BELONGS TO.

HOW TO USE THE BFC IDEABOOK

THE 5 E FRAMEWORK A basic tenet of the BFC program is the inherent flexibility offered by the 5 E Framework which recognizes that no two BFCs look alike and no one-size-fits-all solution exists to address the varying challenges and barriers that communities or cyclists in those communities face.

Rather than providing a strict rubric or list of specific actions that every applicant community must take to earn a BFC award designation, the 5 E criteria is designed to provide a flexible framework to help communities identify the appropriate solutions that will work best for them, while ensuring their efforts are holistic and comprehensive. In the nearly 30 years the BFC program has existed, the program and its awards application has continuously evolved to reflect new technologies, innovations, and best practices as well as updated safety and design standards from groups like FHWA, NACTO, AASHTO, and APBP. See the Bicycle Friendly Community's online glossary for a complete list of terms and acronyms in this document: bikeleague.org/BFCglossary.

This encourages communities to continue improving to meet the higher standards of what can be considered a Bicycle Friendly Community. While this book does not include every great idea seen from Bicycle Friendly Community applicants in the life of this program, the selected stories and examples represent some of the most prominent topics that have been added or revised in the recent 2022 BFC application update, which the League encourages all communities to begin to consider and prioritize.

 Engineering  Education  Encouragement  Evaluation & Planning  Equity & Accessibility

HOW TO USE THE BFC IDEABOOK

THE IDEABOOK’S STRUCTURE Readers are encouraged to use both the table of contents and the links listed in the appendix to find examples and ideas that will be most helpful and most relevant to their community. The Table of Contents lists each section and subsection to help readers find the topics that interest them most, while the Appendix points to an online interactive map, glossary, and resource library that all link to more information about each case study, example, and resource highlighted in the BFC Ideabook. In particular, the BFC Ideabook Map can help readers explore the complete inventory of communities highlighted in the Ideabook, organized by section, topic, community population size, BFC award level, and geographic location.

THIS BOOK IS ORGANIZED INTO THREE SECTIONS: 1. BUILDING A BICYCLE FRIENDLY COMMUNITY FOR EVERYONE, which focuses on Equity and Accessibility priorities in the BFC Program, sharing examples of some of the key ways that communities are beginning to integrate equity & accessibility into their bicycling initiatives, including data collection and analysis, as well as authentic and robust community engagement.

2. BUILDING INFRASTRUCTURE FOR BICYCLING, which focuses on tools to create physical infrastructure that is safe and comfortable for all to bike, as well as some of the most effective policies, staffing structures, and funding mechanisms communities are using to become more bicycle-friendly.

3. BUILDING SUPPORT BY SUPPORTING BICYCLISTS, which highlights some of the innovative ways communities are making bikes more available and accessible to residents, as well as the ways communities and their local partners are building bike culture and educating local bicyclists on safe and predictable biking behaviors, which in turn have resulted in building greater support for the systems, infrastructure, and investments communities must make to become better for bicycling. READ ON >

“Our community is happier, healthier and better connected as a result of our support for bicycling.” —Encinitas, CA (Bronze-level BFC)

HOW TO USE THE BFC IDEABOOK

THE IDEABOOK’S STRUCTURE The case studies highlighted in this book cover the full breadth of the Bicycle Friendly America program’s 5 E Framework. To help communities understand how each idea or case study showcased in this book fits into the BFC criteria, every example is labeled with the relevant “E” category or categories the effort falls under on the BFC application. As always, BFC applicants are encouraged to innovate and leverage the opportunities and challenges unique to their community. While not every idea in this book may work for every community, our goal is to offer inspiration for a range of communities of different sizes, climates, geographies, demographics, and at different stages of their work to become more welcoming and accessible to cyclists of all ages and all abilities, including people with disabilities.

FIND AN INTERACTIVE VERSION OF THE IDEABOOK ONLINE AT BIKELEAGUE.ORG/BFCIDEABOOK

RAI L TRAIL IN ENCIN ITAS, CA 13

THE END GOAL CREATING A BUILT ENVIRONMENT THAT IS SAFE AND ACCESSIBLE FOR ANYONE TO RIDE A BIKE. The built environment—the physical infrastructure that makes up a community’s land use and transportation network—is perhaps the most important area of focus for a community, if their goal is to become a place where people of all ages, races, genders, abilities, and skill levels will be able to bike safely. At the core of a Bicycle Friendly Community is the basic principle that anyone riding a bike should be provided a safe, comfortable, obvious, and accessible-to-all route to travel from point A to point B. Whether a person is choosing to bike for transportation or recreation, or whether a bike is the only mode of transportation a person has available to them, every potential rider has the right to a safe and dignified route. In the following sections, we highlight best practices around tactics to improve the built environment seen among Bicycle Friendly Communities. Under “Connecting Networks: Community Case Studies”, we showcase a number of communities that have approached planning and implementing cohesive bike networks with a variety of methods and at a variety of scales, from the details of signage and markings, to connecting neighborhoods, to connecting whole communities across a region. In “Building Systems to Support a Better Built Environment”, we share examples of successful policy, staffing, and funding structures that have helped Bicycle Friendly Communities systematically prioritize bicycling improvements.

Dedicated bike path in Platinum-level BFC Madison, Wisconsin. Photo credit: Renee Callaway

PART ONE:

BUILDING A BICYCLE FRIENDLY COMMUNITY FOR EVERYONE. 15

“ The most positive outcome of our community’s support for bicycling is the virtuous cycle of support each project energizes. The historic supportive advocacy community is now joined by members of the public who recognize the value of biking and want it in their neighborhood, then when it is built, want to support others who want it in their neighborhood too. The more people who are vocal supporters of bike projects, the more bike projects are part of the daily conversation.” — HO U STO N, TX ( BR O NZ E- L EV E L BFC ) In Houston, Texas, the Mayor’s ‘Complete Communities’ initiative provides a framework for equitable engagement, planning, and development, and helps guide the prioritization of projects in the City’s Bikeways Plan. Air quality and public health disparities are among the metrics used to identify priority neighborhoods. Photo: Attendees stop for a group picture during Air Alliance Houston's Sunnyside Sampling the City ride, organized to collect air quality samples in Houston’s Sunnyside neighborhood, June 2021. Source: Air Alliance Houston (Gold-level Bicycle Friendly Business in Houston, TX).

How the League is integrating Equity & Accessibility into the Bicycle Friendly Community Program and Awards Criteria.

“Accessibility” refers to improving and increasing access and mobility options for everyone, including, and in particular, for people with disabilities.

The League defines “Equity” as the just and fair inclusion of everyone into a society in which everyone can participate and prosper. The goals of equity must be to create conditions that allow all to reach their full potential by erasing disparities in race, income, ability, geography, age, gender, gender identity and sexual orientation. The principle of equity acknowledges that there are historically underserved and underrepresented populations and in order to address these structural and systemic disparities and bring about fairness and equality, present-day investments must be structured to intentionally address historical inequities. In the case of bicycling, this means when a community finds disparate outcomes across socioeconomic or demographic factors such as who rides bikes, where crashes and fatalities occur, who is more likely to be injured or killed in a crash, who participates in recreational or educational opportunities, or who engages in public outreach efforts, the community must look to the root causes of these disparities and work to address them head-on.

The League recognizes not every disability is visible to others, and not every person with a permanent or temporary mobility or accessibility need identifies as ‘disabled’. Whether from a cognitive, sensory, or physical disability, or from age, temporary illness, or injury, there are people in every community who face a range of mobility challenges for whom a bike or cycle may open a world of possibilities to increase accessibility.

Video Spotlight: Disabled People Ride Bikes (and Trikes, and Tandems and Recumbents)! Created by Rooted in Rights for NACTO’s Bike Share and Cities for Cycling Roundtable.

With the 2022 BFC application update, communities that participate in the Bicycle Friendly Community program are now asked to consider the various ways their physical infrastructure, educational efforts, encouragement events, public outreach and engagement, planning, and data collection processes can all be made more equitable and more accessible for every member of their community, regardless of race, income, ability, geography, age, gender, gender identity and sexual orientation.

I : BUILDING A BICYCLE FRIENDLY COMMUNITY FOR EVERYONE

BUILDING A BICYCLE FRIENDLY COMMUNITY FOR EVERYONE.

In 2022, the League adopted Equity & Accessibility as the updated 5th E of the “5 E Framework” by which all Bicycle Friendly Community applicants are evaluated.

As of 2022, many communities are still in the early stages of determining how best to do this work, but several examples throughout this Ideabook showcase some of the creative ways communities are beginning to integrate equity and accessibility into their work to make bicycling a safe, comfortable, and viable option for their residents and visitors.

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PART 1.1

EQUITY DATA & ANALYSIS TOOLS In a recent survey of communities that participate in the Bicycle Friendly Community program, nearly half of all awarded BFCs (47%) reported that they have begun to integrate equity-related data (e.g. race, income, or car ownership metrics paired with bicycling fatality or ridership data) into their decision-making processes for the planning or development of bicycle infrastructure. Socioeconomic and demographic overlays on a city map can reveal obvious gaps where entire neighborhoods or regions have been left out of a community’s bicycle network, transit system, bikeshare, or other transportation amenities, and where additional investments are needed to achieve equitable outcomes across race, income, age and other demographic variables. Just over 40% of BFC awardees reported that they have undertaken more formal equity-focused analysis efforts, such as a social vulnerability assessment, equity matrix, index, or similar effort, as part of their community Bicycle Master Plan or other similar bicycle planning document or effort. These more in-depth analysis methods take a step beyond data collection to help a community consistently utilize their equity-related data to inform decisions around future investments. Integrating a formal equity analysis methodology into a community’s

bike plan can be an effective way to systematically ensure that equity-related data are used throughout the planning and implementation processes of future bike projects, so that these investments can help alleviate past harms and reduce disparities that may exist along race, income, gender, age, or disability status. The case studies and examples shared under “Equity Data & Analysis Tools” highlight some of the analysis tools used by several of the highest performing, Gold- and Platinum-level Bicycle Friendly Communities. These analysis tools are just the beginning, however. As communities start to develop systems and processes to measure and identify inequities, the real work of eliminating those inequities requires using the data and information to prioritize investments where they are needed most. Once areas of need are identified, community input is required before, during, and after project implementation to ensure community desires and needs are met and to help limit unintended consequences such as displacement among residents. Only 35% of BFC awardees reported intentional reparative or equity-focused transportation investments in previously under-invested areas or

populations within their community, while a much smaller percentage, 4.38% of awardees, reported having any kind of anti-displacement program or strategies related to transportation investments in their community. The case studies showcased under “Empowering Citizens to Become Changemakers” highlight some of the strategies communities and local partners are using to engage and empower local residents throughout the planning and implementation process.

SURVEY QUESTION:

Which of the following equity-related efforts has the local government or any other group or organization in your community undertaken related to Bicycle Data Collection, Evaluation, Planning, Funding, Staffing, and Goal-Setting within the last 10 years?

P E R C E N TA G E T H AT A N S W E R E D ' Y E S ' T O : E Q U I T Y- R E L AT E D E F F O R T S R E L AT E D T O BPercentage I C Y C L E that D ATA C O LYes L Eto:C T I O N , E VA L U AT I O N , P L A N N I N G , F U N D I N G , S TA F F I N G , A N D G O A Lanswered SETTING WITHIN THE LAST 10 YEARS

47.45%

Socioeconomic or demographic data mapping

43.40% 40.88%

Equity-focused analysis in bike plan

37.11% 35.04%

Reparative or equity-focused transportation investments

30.82%

% 4.38 Anti-displacement program or strategies 3.77% 0.0%

10%

20%

BFC awardees (Bronze or higher)

30%

40%

All Communities (BFCs and Non-BFCs)

50%

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PART 1.1: EQUITY DATA & ANALYSIS TOOLS

DEVELOPING EQUITY ANALYSIS

TUCSON, AZ

“ In response to systemic racism and historical under-investment in some parts of the city, the City of Tucson developed an equity analysis as part of the Move Tucson planning process to help (a) identify areas of the community with greater barriers to transportation and mobility, (b) guide project development and outreach efforts unique to those areas, (c) prioritize project and program funding resources in the most vulnerable parts of the community. This equity focus area map is at the heart of the city’s long- and short-range planning and programming efforts.” — Tucson & Eastern Pima County Region, AZ (Gold-level BFC)

BICYCLE FRIENDLY COMMUNITY

‘Move Tucson’ Equity Analysis.

EVA LUATI O N & P L A NNI NG EQ U I TY & ACC ESS I BI L I TY

GOLD

THE LEAGUE

OF AMERICAN BICYCLISTS

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PART 1.1: EQUITY DATA & ANALYSIS TOOLS

RACIAL EQUITY & SOCIAL JUSTICE INITIATIVE TOOL & TRAININGS In Platinum-level BFC Madison, Wisconsin, the City has created a Racial Equity & Social Justice Initiative Tool ”to help with understanding the equity ramifications of policies and programs.” The City of Madison has used the Racial Equity & Social Justice Initiative tool to help develop criteria for selecting infrastructure projects for funding in the City’s Neighborhood Traffic Calming program, Safe Routes to School program, and “Safe Streets Madison” (formerly called “Pedestrian Bicycle Enhancement Projects”). Additionally, the city offers trainings and seminars for staff on how to use the tool as well as to help improve their understanding of racial equity and social justice, including “ways to engage and support communities and neighborhoods in more sustained and authentic ways.”

Crossing in Madison, WI. Credit: Renee Callaway

MADISON, WI

EVA LUATI O N & P L A NNI NG EQ U IT Y & ACC ESS I BI L I TY

BICYCLE FRIENDLY COMMUNITY PLATINUM THE LEAGUE OF AMERICAN BICYCLISTS

Fort Collins Equity Indicators Final Report - March 2021

CUNY Institute for State & Local Governance

EQUITY INDICATORS DASHBOARD TRACKS RACIAL DISPARITIES In Platinum-level BFC Fort Collins, Colorado, the city has developed a public Equity Indicators Dashboard showing disparities using data disaggregated by race, ethnicity, and other demographic factors, which will be updated annually. The City’s 2021 Report launching the project describes the Equity dashboard as “a framework for measuring and understanding the inequities that exist in Fort Collins and how they change over time.” The effort will eventually track 110 metrics across ten “domain” areas: Civic Engagement, Criminal Justice and Public Safety, Economic Opportunity, Education, Environmental Justice, Housing, Public Health, Services, Social Inclusion, and Transportation. Under transportation, five indicators will be tracked including perceptions of ease of bicycling, transit use, and dependency on cars for transportation. Under Criminal Justice, the city is tracking racial disparities in traffic citations, criminal citations and arrests, and use of force. The Equity Indicators project website acknowledges that it is “a work in progress” and that “more measures, explanations, and easy-to-understand graphics will be added, and the dashboard will continue to grow over time.”

Family in Fort Collins on Bike to Work Day. Photo courtesy of the City of Fort Collins, CO.

FORT COLLINS, CO

EVA LUATI O N & P L A NNI NG EQ U IT Y & ACC ESS I BI L I TY

Additionally, the City of Fort Collins has conducted equity trainings to better prepare staff to address and incorporate equity into transportation planning efforts and programs, and city staff are working to build capacity in-house and within the community to understand and address inequities. According to the city’s 2021 BFC application, “In-house capacity building is meant to ensure that an equity lens is applied to all City services, existing and planned. Community capacity building is intended to support long-term engagement of historically marginalized groups.”

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PART 1.1: EQUITY DATA & ANALYSIS TOOLS

Beyond the city limits, Larimer County, where Fort Collins is located, is working with the City and several other local partners through a Data Working Group to create a Multimodal Index, which overlays health equity data with data on how easy it is to access active transportation like biking, walking, and transit systems, and creates a visual map and quantitative score by census tract to help prioritize investments in infrastructure and outreach activities across the county.

BICYCLE FRIENDLY COMMUNITY PLATINUM THE LEAGUE OF AMERICAN BICYCLISTS

“ The City of Portland, as well as the Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE), lead with the metrics of race and ethnicity because of the very inequities created and perpetuated by institutions such as government. These inequities, across all indicators for success, are deep and pervasive. Focusing our work on racial and ethnic equity allows us to introduce a framework, tools, and resources we can then apply to other forms of marginalization. This may include discrimination or marginalization based on gender, ability, age, or sexual orientation.” —PBOT Equity & Inclusion Program

MAPPING EQUITY DATA In 2016, the City Council of Platinum-level BFC Portland, Oregon, established a requirement that all 26 city departments, called bureaus in Portland, have a Bureau Equity Committee, a 5 Year Racial Equity Plan, an ADA Coordinator and a Civil Rights Coordinator. Six of the city bureaus, including the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT), have allocated funding to hire a full-time Equity and Inclusion Program Manager. According to Portland’s 2017 BFC application, “at PBOT, equity is embedded in everyone’s job and all relevant staff are required to adhere to the City’s equity goals and public involvement procedures. While we do have key staff that specialize in equity, they are used as a resource and are not the only equity experts in the Bureau of Transportation. As bicycle-related projects are vetted and constructed, all staff along the way are trained and required to use an equity lens in their work, from planning to engineering to encouragement and beyond.”

In 2017, PBOT launched the PBOT Equity Matrix, a simple ranking tool to help the Bureau make decisions on transportation projects, programs, and investments through a racial equity lens. The Equity Matrix map uses data on race, ethnicity, and income, with an additional layer for limited English proficiency, to apply a numeric score to census tracts. The resulting scores provide PBOT staff with a tool to evaluate and prioritize transportation projects, and are used in conjunction with other variables such as health impacts, transportation access, and community support, in the decision-making process for all transportation projects.

RESOURCE SPOTLIGHTS: Equity of Access to Bicycle Infrastructure: GIS methods for investigating the equity of access to bike infrastructure (League of American Bicyclists, 2015) Racial Equity Tools & Resources from the Government Alliance on Race & Equity (GARE)

PBOT Equity Matrix Map.

PORTLAND, OR

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EVA LUATI O N & P L A NNI NG EQ U IT Y & ACC ESS I BI L I TY Source: https://www.portland.gov/officeofequity/pbot-equity-matrix#toc-why-lead-with-race-and-ethnicity-

BICYCLE FRIENDLY COMMUNITY PLATINUM THE LEAGUE OF AMERICAN BICYCLISTS

This section details the changes made to the 2016 20 Year Streets Funding Plan scoring framework.

REFINING THE 20 YEAR STREETS FUNDING PLAN SCORING FRAMEWORK

PEDESTRIAN FACILITIES Pedestrian Facilities points were increased to better align with the Complete Streets Policy’s modal hierarchy

CITY OF MINNEAPOLIS

20 Year Streets FUNDING PLAN 2018 Update

The 2016 20 Year Streets Funding Plan laid out a data-driven process with a focus on racial and economic equity to prioritize street projects on an annual basis. The framework is data driven, but also is flexible to allow Public Works the ability to seize opportunities and deliver projects that achieve larger City goals. Throughout development of the 2016 20 Year Streets Funding Plan, a list of process improvements was produced to consider as a part of the cyclical update process of this 20-year commitment. The recommendations focused on adjustments to the scoring process to better align scoring with City goals and policies. In the 2018 Update the City updated the scoring framework based on these recommendations as well as on the input heard through the 2017 community outreach process. This section details the changes made to the scoring framework.

framework. In the 2016 Plan, within the Infrastructure Condition category, pedestrian facilities were worth a maximum of four points, while the existence of an on-street bicycle facility was worth a maximum of six points.

WHAT IS THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN (CIP)?

The 2018 Update increased the total available points for pedestrian facilities from four points to eight points.

The Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) is a five year outlook of planned City of Minneapolis construction projects. The CIP is updated annually. CIP projects include street resurfacing, reconstruction, alley renovation, bridge maintenance, sidewalk maintenance, traffic signals, ADA ramp replacement, other safety improvements, and more. The 20 Year Streets Funding Plan guides only a portion of the total CIP.

Pedestrian Facility

Street with non-compliant ADA ramp Street with pedestrian zone less than 10 feet Street with sidewalk obstruction (criteria to be scored when data becomes available)

October - December Identify and Evaluate Potential Projects

and instead focuses on the number of overall utility needs. The goal of this criterion is to prioritize streets with utility projects to support coordination, whether a utility need is public or private does not change the need to

January - March Develop Capital Budget Requests

coordinate. Coordinating utility and paving projects means fewer impacts to the street surface and the traveling public. Therefore the scoring framework was adjusted to give more points to streets with multiple utility needs, regardless of utility ownership.

April - May Presentation to the Capital Long-Range Improvement Committee (CLIC)

The capital programming process occurs annually, and involves Public Works, residents, the Capital Long-Range Improvements Committee (CLIC), the Mayor, and City Council to develop and adopt a plan for investments.

2018 framework: Utility Needs

Street with a public utility project or need

Street with a single private OR public utility project or need

Street with a private utility project or need

Street with two or more private OR public utility projects or needs

TOTAL

City of Minneapolis

20 Year Streets Funding Plan | 2018 Update

A P R I L 2018

2016 Points

2016 framework: Utility Needs

AN ANNUAL PROCESS

City of Minneapolis

UTILITY NEEDS

CAPITAL PROGRAMMING:

July Final CLIC Report

20 Year Streets Funding Plan | 2018 Update

The Utility Need scoring was modified to remove the distinction between public and private utility needs, August - September Mayor’s Recommended Budget

A Continuous Process

May 2018

2018 Points

1 point 2 points (not yet (not yet available) available) TOTAL

October - December City Council Mark-up and Budget Resolution

2016 Points

2018 Points

PRIORITIZING EQUITY IN FUNDING DECISIONS

6 6

A P R I L 2018

In 2016, the City Council of Gold-level BFC Minneapolis, Minnesota, passed the Neighborhood Park and Street Infrastructure Plans ordinance, a landmark agreement to equitably address funding needs that would allow for repaving city streets and maintaining neighborhood parks far into the future. The ordinance provided $800 million over the next 20 years to help the city and the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board keep up with needed maintenance and operations costs for city streets and neighborhood parks. The ordinance is supported by the city’s 20 Year Streets Funding Plan, which outlines the equity-driven process and criteria by which Minneapolis selects street improvement projects for inclusion in the annual Capital Improvement Program (CIP). The 20 Year Streets Funding Plan, which was updated in 2018 with new data and scoring to reflect public outreach efforts done the year prior, details how street funding is prioritized in Minneapolis based on a variety of factors such as the physical condition of streets,

community socioeconomic and demographic data, and modal needs (i.e. the needs of pedestrians, bicyclists, transit users, etc.), while applying a lens of racial and economic equity to the prioritization process. Some of the specific criteria outlined in the plan include: Streets with non-compliant ADA ramps Streets in areas with high percentages of residents with family incomes below the federal poverty threshold Streets in areas with high percentages of residents who are persons of color Streets in areas with low rates of households with vehicle availability As well as a number of physical characteristics of the streets or areas such as density, transit access, connectivity gaps in existing sidewalks and/or bikeway networks, pavement conditions, and crash rates.

BICYCLE FRIENDLY COMMUNITY

The Blaisdell Ave. S. Bikeway in Minneapolis. Photo courtesy of the City of Minneapolis, MN.

MINNEAPOLIS, MN

EVA LUATI O N & P L A NNI NG EQ U IT Y & ACC ESS I BI L I TY

I : building a bicycle friendly community for everyone

PART 1.1: EQUITY DATA & ANALYSIS TOOLS

CHANGES TO THE 2016 20 YEARS STREETS FUNDING PLAN SCORING FRAMEWORK

CAPITAL PROJECT PRIORITIZATION

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OF AMERICAN BICYCLISTS

Points Pavement Condition

Pedestrian Facilities

Safety

Crash Rates

Utilities

Public/Private Utilities

Infrastructure Condition

Asset Condition

ASSET CONDITION SUBTOTAL

Community Demographics

Equity

Use and Mode Conditions

Non White Majority

Low Income Population

Vehicle Availability

Potential Users

Pedestrian Needs

Bicycle Needs

Transit Needs

Freight Needs

User Volumes

4 EQUITY SUBTOTAL

Source: City of Minneapolis 20 Year Streets Funding Plan 2018 Update, page 6: https://www2.minneapolismn.gov/media/content-assets/www2-documents/departments/wcmsp-211987.pdf

PART 1.1: EQUITY DATA & ANALYSIS TOOLS

I : building a bicycle friendly community for everyone

City of Minneapolis 20 Year Streets Funding Plan 2018 Scoring Framework

CITY OF MINNEAPOLIS 20 YEAR STREETS FUNDING PLAN 2018 SCORING FRAMEWORK Left: The city of Minneapolis’ updated Equity and Asset Condition scoring framework used to identify funding priorities, from the 2018 update of the city’s 20 Year Streets Funding Plan. Below: An excerpt of how the “Low Income Population” subcategory points are awarded by the updated scoring framework. See the 20 Year Streets Funding Plan link below to find the full scoring details for all other subcategories.

Percentage of Low-Income Residents

Points Awarded

Street in area with ≥40% of residents having family income <185% of the federal poverty threshold

Street in area with ≥30% to <40% of residents having family income <185% of the federal poverty threshold

Streets in area with <30% of residents having family income <185% of the federal poverty threshold

Source: City of Minneapolis 20 Year Streets Funding Plan 2018 Update, page 17: https://www2.minneapolismn.gov/media/content-assets/www2-documents/departments/wcmsp-211987.pdf

I : building a bicycle friendly community for everyone

“Through the planning process, transportation was one of the most-cited social equity issues identified by participants, with the main complaint being getting where they need to go. Identifying areas of transit reliance, demographic data, and low income housing, transportation planning staff have been able to prioritize projects in the most needed neighborhoods to improve connectivity and end of trip facilities.” — PA R K C I TY, U T (G O L D - L EV E L BFC ) Bicyclist on the McPolin Farm Trail in Park City, UT. Photo courtesy of the City of Park City.

EMPOWERING CITIZENS TO BECOME CHANGEMAKERS The 2022 update to the Bicycle Friendly Community application and award criteria places a greater emphasis on community engagement and empowerment as part of a community’s bicycle planning and implementation processes. New questions under the Evaluation & Planning section of the BFC application ask communities to report on the tools, systems, and processes in place to inform, consult, involve, collaborate with, and/or empower citizens, referencing the International Association for Public Participation’s Spectrum of Public Participation. The BFC application also asks communities how these engagement opportunities have been made more accessible and inclusive to increase the diversity and representation of opinions and perspectives heard. The following case studies showcase promising efforts around public engagement with local residents from current BFCs.

NEW ORLEANS, LA

Volunteers installing a pop-up bike lane in New Orleans. Photo courtesy of City of New Orleans, LA.

I : building a bicycle friendly community for everyone

PART 1.2

INCLUSIVE ENGAGEMENT Bicycle Friendly Communities across the country have used a variety of tools and methods to reach and engage with residents. In Bronze-level BFC Plano, Texas, the city developed a Take the Case “meeting in a box” workshop to help other local organizations host internal meetings. The goal of this effort was to solicit input from those who had historically been excluded from the planning process. Over twenty organizations, including the Multicultural Outreach Roundtable and Plano Senior High School, participated. The city of Tucson, Arizona, part of a regional Goldlevel BFC, has experimented with non-traditional forms of public outreach and engagement related to bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure projects in an effort to reach people who face more barriers to participation with traditional means, such as virtual meetings or public open houses. These nontraditional methods, now a standard part of the city’s outreach repertoire, include: free bike repair events; bike-in movies in parks; free ice-cream socials in parks; community walks and bike rides; partnerships with local community organizations; door to door canvassing; tabling at grocery stores, libraries, farmer’s markets, and “piggy-backing” on other popular community events.

PLANO, TX

Wayfinding and emergency signage along an off-street trail in Plano, Texas. Photo courtesy of the City of Plano.

In Silver-level BFC Saint Paul, Minnesota, to engage with residents and inform the planning process for two major bike projects, the city used an artistically retrofitted city truck to offer “pop up meetings” where staff were able to meet community members in their own neighborhoods to hear their ideas and responses, rather than asking residents to attend a conventional meeting. The city has also partnered with the local nonprofit bike co-op, Cycles for Change, and other groups to engage with and hear input from bicyclists of diverse backgrounds, including new immigrants, youth, and those experiencing homelessness. From 2009 to 2017, the Friendly Streets Initiative (FSI) in Saint Paul helped organize a variety of engagement efforts to inform the planning and development of the city’s bike network and street projects. For example, when the city was planning and implementing the Charles Avenue Bicycle Boulevard, FSI worked with the city and multiple neighborhood associations to host a series of five block parties along Charles Avenue, attended by over 700 residents. Input gathered at these block parties led to increased engagement at more formal public meetings for the project and directly influenced the final design of the bicycle boulevard.

I : building a bicycle friendly community for everyone

PART 1.2: EMPOWERING CITIZENS TO BECOME CHANGEMAKERS

I : building a bicycle friendly community for everyone

Traffic circle painting at Mission View Block Party in Tucson, AZ. Photo Credit: Creatista, courtesy of the City of Tucson.

HYPERLOCAL COLLABORATION AND COMMUNITY-LED PLANNING With a population of 2.7 million residents, the city of Chicago, Illinois, is a Silver-level BFC and the fourth largest community in the BFC program, but it is a city of neighborhoods, and each neighborhood is unique —a community of its own. The city has found that the secret to success for ambitious plans to expand their citywide bike network is to take a hyperlocal, collaborative approach. Working directly with grassroots communitybased organizations, the City of Chicago’s Department of Transportation (CDOT) has managed to plan for and implement new and upgraded low-stress bikeway facilities which are truly serving residents by connecting them to the everyday destinations they care about most. As highlighted in the League’s 2022 report Benchmarking Bike Networks, Chicago’s Belmont Cragin neighborhood offers a prime example of this hyperlocal planning and engagement process. As Chicago’s Divvy bike share program expanded into the Belmont Cragin neighborhood, the city recognized that with increasing access to bikes there was a critical need to provide more safe places to bike, and quickly. This made Belmont Cragin a perfect community to use CDOT’s new neighborhood bike network process. CDOT’s neighborhood bike network process begins by forming a community task force of 20-25 residents from diverse backgrounds, including residents and representatives

from housing, public health, employment, and education. Belmont Cragin has a higher-than-average population under the age of 18 years old, making youth participation particularly essential, which was accomplished thanks to collaboration with a local group, Northwest Center. The next objective is to work with the task force to collect feedback from neighborhood residents about perceptions of biking, barriers to biking, and the key destinations they would most like to get to by bike. After surveying residents for their input and identifying the areas underserved by the current bike network, the city works with the neighborhood task force to draft a proposed map of a new and improved bike network that addresses residents’ concerns. The city then gets additional comments and input from neighborhood residents before finalizing the map, and finally, installs the new network. “We very much went into this with the recognition that the only way we can create and provide a useful system for biking is by developing a network. We can’t do it one street at a time” says CDOT’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Program Manager David Smith. In addition to building a system that is immediately useful to residents, developing a network within a concentrated area also allows the city to “more easily connect the dots between biking and economic development, public health, public safety, education, those core issues that are at the top of everybody’s minds.”

Using this process, the city was able to make rapid progress to build out the Belmont Cragin neighborhood bike network in a matter of months: CDOT began the engagement process in January 2021 and started installing new and upgraded bike lanes in June that year. By the end of 2021, the city had installed a total of 13.5 miles of new bikeways in Belmont Cragin, enabling over 16,000 Divvy bike share trips there in the final few months of 2021, more than any other neighborhood served by the system. By the end of 2022, the neighborhood will have over 17 miles of a connected bikeway network, compared to just a mile and a half before this effort began. With this hyperlocal collaborative approach working hand-inhand with local residents, business owners, and community organizations to identify, plan, and implement a network within a concentrated neighborhood, the city has been able to customize their approach to meet the needs of each neighborhood they’ve worked with, and have also been able achieve quick, visible wins that benefit the residents who live there.

Video Spotlight: Hear from David Smith of CDOT and Jeremy Cuebas of NW Center in the League’s February 2022 webinar, “Benchmarking Bike Networks”

I : building a bicycle friendly community for everyone

PART 1.2: EMPOWERING CITIZENS TO BECOME CHANGEMAKERS

“ Before talking about any streets, we focused on getting to know the neighborhood, getting to know the people in the neighborhood, and how people in the neighborhood could best benefit from a network.” — DAV I D S M I TH, C D OT

11th Street Bridge Park’s Equitable Development Plan

BRIDGING EQUITABLE DEVELOPMENT

Equitable Development Plan

In Gold-level BFC Washington, D.C., the nonprofit organization Building Bridges Across the River (“Building Bridges”) is overseeing the equitable development of a new elevated park that will cross over the Anacostia River, called the 11th Street Bridge Park. Once completed, the Bridge Park will serve as a civic space and a bicycling and pedestrian bridge connecting two parts of the nation’s capital that have been divided by years of policy-driven racial and economic segregation and disparate investments. To achieve the Bridge Park project’s goal “to serve as an anchor for equitable and inclusive economic growth” by ensuring that “residents and small businesses nearby will continually benefit from the success of this signature new civic space,” the Building Bridges team worked extensively with community members to create an Equitable Development Plan. The plan outlines specific strategies to guide their work organized into four priority focus areas: housing, workforce development, small business enterprises, and arts and culture. Originally, the Equitable Development Plan began with a focus solely on affordable housing, but through community engagement and data, it quickly became clear that the interconnectedness of issues around employment and livability made this fuller multi-sector approach essential to the plan’s success.

Other lessons learned include the importance of being intentional in embedding equity and inclusivity into the organization and process, and engaging and empowering the local community to weigh in and be involved in decision-making throughout the process, from planning to implementation. This process of building partnerships began early and has been intentionally slow. As Vaughn Perry, Director of Equity for the 11th Street Bridge Park, shared in his presentation at the 2022 National Bike Summit, “change moves at the speed of trust.” The engagement process for the Bridge Park project has been underway for over eight years, and they have not yet broken ground. Finally, making data-informed decisions and developing clear, measurable goals provide an additional layer of accountability and constant feedback to ensure the project stays on track with its goals. In addition to sharing their Equitable Development Plan to serve as a model for other communities and development projects around the country, the Bridge Park team developed an Equity Toolkit with a series of videos outlining each step of their process of creating an inclusive community-driven plan.

BICYCLE FRIENDLY COMMUNITY

The 11th Street Bridge Park’s Equitable Development Plan and Equity Tool Kit can be downloaded at bbardc.org/equity.

GOLD

WASHINGTON, D.C.

I : building a bicycle friendly community for everyone

11th Street Bridge Park’s

PART 1.2: EMPOWERING CITIZENS TO BECOME CHANGEMAKERS

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— NEW O R L E A NS, L A (S I LV E R - L EV E L BFC )

I : building a bicycle friendly community for everyone

"Bicycling helps build a prosperous, healthy, equitable, and livable New Orleans. Our support for bicycling has led to huge increases in the number of people riding over the last 20 years, and we intend to keep growing those numbers and the benefits they bring—from strong social connections and healthy fun to affordable commutes and equitable transportation access."

Bicycle Second Line, Bike Easy's pedal-powered version of the traditional New Orleans second line, lead by a live brass band, rolling street closures for cars, and lots of support for riders of all ages and abilities. Photo courtesy of the City of New Orleans.

PART TWO:

BUILDING INFRASTRUCTURE FOR BIKING. 32

2: Building Infrastructure for Biking

" The most positive outcome of Spokane’s support for bicycling is seeing an increasing number of residents and visitors getting around by bicycle for daily needs, and in turn, an increase in public demand for these facilities. Residents, business owners and visitors are recognizing the individual and community-wide benefits in terms of affordability, health, sustainability, comfort and convenience. With a diverse range of neighborhoods and communities, Spokane recognizes bicycling as a way to provide all residents with an affordable, comfortable and convenient way to cover the short trips that represent the majority of all trips in the City.” —S P O K A NE , WA ( BR O NZ E- L EV E L BFC )

In 2019, the City of Spokane, Washington (Bronze-level BFC), opened the University District Gateway Bridge, a pedestrian/ bicycle-only bridge that was originally envisioned by the City’s Bicycle Advisory Board as early as 1996. This iconic structure bridges major barriers in the City’s bikeway network by connecting over a railroad and linking three universities and several medical facilities to residential neighborhoods in Spokane. Photo credit: Spokesman-Review, courtesy of the City of Spokane, WA.

CONNECTING NETWORKS: COMMUNITY CASE STUDIES Too often, a community’s bicycle infrastructure is made up of piecemeal, disconnected “bike lanes to nowhere” that do not provide a consistent, safe route and force riders to choose between unsafe and uninviting alternatives to complete their trip. By contrast, cohesive and connected bike networks should provide low-stress facilities which are linked to one another, and connect people to their jobs, schools, groceries, healthcare, and other essential services and everyday destinations. The CDC’s Active People, Healthy NationSM initiative identifies “Activity-Friendly Routes to Everyday Destinations” as a key strategy to not only increase physical activity but also to “make our communities better places to live.”

Benchmarking Bike Networks

2: Building Infrastructure for Biking

PART 2.1

RESOURCE SPOTLIGHT: In January 2022, the League published “Benchmarking Bike Networks”, a report emphasizing the importance of safe, low-stress bicycle infrastructure connected through cohesive bicycle networks. The report features five community case studies from the Bicycle Friendly Community program: Boston, MA; Chicago, IL; Oakland, CA; Austin, TX; and Missoula, MT. Read the full report and watch the accompanying webinar here.

Protected bike lane facility in Chicago. Photo courtesy of CDOT.

—DECATUR, GA (SILVER- LEV E L B FC)

PART 2.1: CONNECTING NETWORKS: COMMUNITY CASE STUDIES

PLANNING FOR CONNECTIVITY The small city of Decatur, Georgia, lies six miles east of downtown Atlanta and is home to 25,000 residents. Decatur first applied to the Bicycle Friendly Community program in 2009 and received Honorable Mention status. Decatur then reapplied in 2012 and became a Bronzelevel BFC, a status they renewed in 2017. In 2021, this small suburban city became Georgia’s first Silver-level Bicycle Friendly Community. In the time since their involvement in the BFC program began, one of the most significant steps taken by the city was adopting the Decatur PATH Connectivity and Implementation Plan in 2016. The plan identifies 9.2 miles of bicycle and pedestrian trail improvements in seven segments at a cost of approximately $12 million over a 10-year period. According to the 2016 plan’s Executive Summary, “Decatur has the opportunity to create a walking and biking mecca while ensuring the long-term viability of the city. …The new facilities suggested in this plan connect a majority of the city’s neighborhoods to existing facilities, thereby promoting safe, healthy transportation alternatives.” When implemented, the plan will provide a safe network of protected bike lanes throughout Decatur and beyond, including connections to regional destinations such as the Atlanta BeltLine trail network and Emory University. In Decatur’s 2021 BFC application, Greg White, director of the city’s Active Living program, explained: “The adoption

of the Decatur PATH Connectivity and Implementation Plan have made cycle tracks, bike lanes and other bike facilities physically separated from the roadway to be the preferred choice when considering bike infrastructure projects. The city is making choices to provide safe infrastructure for all levels of riders, especially the casual and beginning rider. Giving cyclists their own facility where possible will encourage a much larger constituency for biking while creating buffers between sidewalks and traffic. Reconfiguring certain streets to become ‘neighborhood greenways’ will provide the same benefits.” To ensure residents and visitors know how to use the growing network of bike facilities, the City of Decatur’s website promotes cycling routes and loops to ride around town using the PATH network and all that it connects to, including a bike maze for kids. The city’s website also promotes educational information including introducing residents to some of the new facility types such as Bike Boxes which can now be found at intersections throughout the city’s bike network. Information on how to use a Bike Box was also put onto rack cards for bicycle wheel spokes and described on the local blog, Be Active Decatur. Finally, to help ensure the success of these new facilities and connections can be measured and tracked, the City is planning to add automated bike/ pedestrian counters to the downtown area and around the new cycle tracks to track ridership.

BICYCLE FRIENDLY COMMUNITY

North McDonough Cycle Track in Decatur, GA. Photo courtesy of the City of Decatur.

DECATUR, GA

E N G I NE E R I NG E D U CATI O N EVA LUATI O N & P L A NNI NG

2: Building Infrastructure for Biking

“ The most positive outcome is more cyclists out and about as well as the variety of cyclists. There are families cycling together to the park or sports, children biking to school, recreational cyclists, and those who bike for transportation. While we don’t have data backing this up, we have seen the increase and the demand for more cycling facilities. The schools have had to install more bike racks as the demand rises for children biking to school.”

SILVER

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CONNECTING NEIGHBORHOODS When assessing a city-wide bike network, it is essential to understand how pockets of low-stress connectivity are connected or isolated from one other. A network is only as strong as its weakest connection, and building a network that works for riders of all ages and skill levels requires analyzing each and every connection. In Silver-level BFC Bend, Oregon, the city uses a quantitative Level of Traffic Stress (LTS) assessment tool developed by the Oregon Department of Transportation to analyze the comfort and connectivity of their roadway and bicycle network between and across neighborhoods in the city.

On the color-coded LTS network map, sections of the same color mean a bicyclist can connect to any of the neighborhoods of that color using the same cohesive low-stress network. Different colors mean low and moderate-stress routes may exist but are isolated from each other. In these areas, while cyclists may be able to ride in low-stress facilities within their neighborhood or around a destination, there is a high-stress roadway or crossing barrier that prevents connectivity to other low-stress facilities. The City of Bend’s transportation and planning staff have used these color-coding LTS maps to identify and prioritize connectivity issues to improve their low-stress bicycling network throughout the community.

2: Building Infrastructure for Biking

PART 2.1: CONNECTING NETWORKS: COMMUNITY CASE STUDIES

BIKEWAY SELECTION GUIDE RESOURCE SPOTLIGHT: Learn more about Level of Traffic Stress and other bikeway selection and analysis tools in the FHWA Bikeway Selection Guide (on page 35 of the guide)

Bend, OR's Bicyclist Comfort and Connectivity Analysis map.

BICYCLE FRIENDLY COMMUNITY

FEBRUARY 2019

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2: Building Infrastructure for Biking

"A positive cycle has been developing, whereby as the City constructs low-stress bicycling facilities, community demand for low-stress bicycling facilities increases. When demand is vocal and normalized within the community, more staff in all levels of the agency seek higher order lowstress bicycling facilities within the projects they are delivering. This is a self-reinforcing and positive cycle. Additionally, as redundancy, route connectivity increase, and critical gaps are closed, more people can ride to more places. The lower stress facilities increases the potential pool of people who are willing to ride. The goal is to normalize bicycle commuting." — B END, OR (SILVER-LEVEL BFC ) The City of Bend installed a protected bike lane around a new roundabout at Wilson and SE 9th Streets. The separation provides additional comfort and provides separated spaces to accommodate people walking and bicycling. Photo courtesy of the City of Bend.

PART 2.1: CONNECTING NETWORKS: COMMUNITY CASE STUDIES

CONNECTING COMMUNITIES: REGIONAL COORDINATION ACROSS BFCS Most communities have a neighboring town, suburb, or city where residents may travel for work, school, or essential services, and from where commuters may travel into the community. In these communities, commuters don’t care who owns which road or bridge, they care if they can get to their destination safely and conveniently. As a result, the Bicycle Friendly Community application now asks applicants to describe how they coordinate with neighboring communities and the surrounding county or other regional jurisdictions. On the North Olympic Peninsula in the northwestern corner of the state of Washington, several Bicycle Friendly Communities including Port Angeles/Clallam County, Sequim, Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, and Port Townsend are connected through trails, transit, and the BFC Program.

The Olympic Discovery Trail (ODT) includes over 130 miles of shared-use paths and on-road bike routes, including a 30-mile stretch of trail that runs eastwest between Jamestown S’Klallam Tribal lands and downtown Port Angeles. The ODT serves as a significant thoroughfare providing low-stress, unobstructed bicycle commuting and recreation opportunities, in addition to space for hikers, walkers, equestrians, wheelchair users, parents with strollers, and wildlife enthusiasts. With the Strait Juan de Fuca to the north and the Olympic Mountains to the south, the ODT connects many current and future Bicycle Friendly Communities, spanning urban, suburban, rural, forest, and waterfront landscapes along the way.

BICYCLE FRIENDLY COMMUNITY

City staff from the Bronze-level Bicycle Friendly Community of Sequim, WA, enjoy a ride on the Olympic Discovery Trail. Photo courtesy of the City of Sequim.

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For example, projects such as installing counters of bicycle and foot traffic on trails and some roads already are in the planning stage. Another valuable awareness is the need to reach out to bicycling constituencies outside of our County and region. Tourism is an important part of our economy. By coming together, our bicycling community can help design effective advertising, promotion and marketing in conjunction with Jefferson County (our neighbor and ODT easterly trailhead), Victoria (BC), the Puget Sound area and Oregon.” — P O RT ANG ELES/C LALLAM COUN TY, WA (B RO NZ E- LEVEL BFC )

For communities along the trail, collaboration has been essential to offering a cohesive route. According to the BFC applicant in Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, “to-date the most positive outcome [of becoming a BFC] is working in partnership with our neighboring jurisdictions to complete the Olympic Discovery Trail. The Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe supports over 4 miles of this regional trail by: providing land, providing or acquiring funding for planning and construction, providing on-going maintenance of the trail section on Tribal land.” Communities along the trail have also been working to add wayfinding signage and markers to the trail, as well as rest stops with amenities such as picnic tables, interpretive signs, maps, and restrooms to benefit community members and visitors alike. In the small town of Sequim a local nonprofit organization called Sequim Wheelers offers free hour-long adaptive cycling rides on the ODT for youth and adult cyclists with disabilities and physical challenges.

In Clallam County, bike commuters have multi-modal options thanks to Clallam Transit, which has added over 50 enclosed and secure bike lockers to major transit centers across the county, as well as covered bus stops, shelters with lights, curb cuts at sidewalks, restrooms and bike racks to accommodate cyclists, including the stops that serve all three BFCs in the county: Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, Sequim, and Port Angeles. Nearly all of the bike locker locations are also in close proximity to the Olympic Discovery Trail.

2: Building Infrastructure for Biking

“

One major positive result of our completion of the BFC application has been the increased dialogue between stakeholders involved with bicycling, public health and multi-modal transportation. City, County, bicycle advocacy groups, health, bicycle tourismrelated businesses, public school systems, transit systems, public safety bodies, Native American Tribes, local college and children’s support agencies now are engaged to a greater extent in discussion of needs, planning, metrics and communication channels. Our Bicycle Advisory Committee will meet at least quarterly with emphasis on measuring progress with goals and envisioning the growth of bicycling in our region.

Bikes on the ODT Railroad Bridge. Photo courtesy of the City of Sequim.

E N G I NE E R I NG, E NCO U RAG E M E NT EQ U I TY & ACC ESS I BI L I TY 39

CONNECTING DETAILS: EQUITY & ACCESSIBILITY IN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT Equity & Accessibility are critical considerations at every scale of the bicycle network. Looking broadly at an entire community or region, assessing the distribution of low-stress bike facilities tells the story of historical economic disinvestment and racial segregation. At a smaller scale, there is an opportunity and a need to prioritize Equity & Accessibility in each detail of how a facility is designed. This is also true at every stage of planning, design, implementation, and upkeep of a project: the quality of the materials used in a demonstration project, the budget established for ongoing maintenance such as repaving, repainting, snow removal, or sweeping of bike lanes or trails, or considerations of universal design principles in the design of facilities.

Minneapolis, MN Plymouth Barrier Protected Bike Lane

E N G I NE E R I NG, E NCO U RAG E M E NT EQ U I TY & ACC ESS I BI L I TY

Learn more about how the principles of universal design can be applied to protected bike lanes in a report by Walk San Francisco and the Senior & Disability Pedestrian Safety Workgroup of the San Francisco Vision Zero Coalition, Getting Getting to the Curb to the Curb: A Guide A Guide to Building Protected Bike Lanes That Work for Pedestrians to Building Protected Bike Lanes That Work for Pedestrians.

2: Building Infrastructure for Biking

PART 2.1 » CONNECTING NETWORKS: COMMUNITY CASE STUDIES

4th Edition / 2020

A Guide to Inclusive Cycling

RESOURCE SPOTLIGHT: Find more resources for designing facilities for cyclists with disabilities in A Guide to Inclusive Cycling by Wheels for Wellbeing

Park City, Utah, which together with neighboring Snyderville Basin is a Gold-level BFC, is a small mountainous community with just under 9,000 residents and a robust bicycle network made up of over 40 miles of non-motorized multi-use pathways. The trail network provides low-stress bikeway connections between jobs, subsidized housing apartment complexes, schools, parks, residential neighborhoods, ski resorts, and a vibrant downtown district. Park City was the first community in the nation to implement a public electric-assist bike share program, to help tourists and residents manage many steep grades found throughout the hilly community and surrounding county. To help cyclists and other trail

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Park City’s trail names are all thoughtfully colorcoded similar to what you’d see on a multi-line transit system. Wayfinding signage throughout the trail network shows the distance and time to reach key destinations. Maps showing the full system of colorcoded routes are posted at trail crossings, as well as all public bike share stations across the community. To help newcomers easily identify which route they are on, Park City applied pavement marking consisting of color-coded circles at key intersections of the paved trails. In addition to making the trails more welcoming and usable for visitors, tourists, and new residents of this small mountain town, the simple, clear, colorcoded markings that Park City adopted for their onground markings are a great example of wayfinding signage that is clear and legible for neurodiverse riders, riders with cognitive disabilities, low-vision riders, and well as riders who don’t speak English or who cannot read.

North Round Valley Trailhead

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users experience a safer and lower-stress route, the trail network is increasingly connected with underpass tunnels that completely bypass the many State-owned roads in the community that pose high-speed, highstress barriers.

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Trails and on-road bike facilities can be made more usable, particularly for new cyclists and cyclists with vision or cognitive impairments, by thinking through the design details of wayfinding signage, public maps, on-road markers and trail markers. This often overlooked detail not only increases usability and accessibility, it also offers an opportunity for communities to integrate historical, cultural, and artistic features and placemaking into their transportation systems.

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ON STREET CONNECTION

The Farm Trailhead

BICYCLE FRIENDLY COMMUNITY

Quinn's Dog Park

Canyons Transit Hub

410 0 N

Matt Knoop Park

DR AW RD

CAN YON S VILLAGE

H IG

WILL OW

O LD

25 0 E

Willow Creek Dog Park

P IN

Quinn's Trailhead ME A D OWS DR

McPolin Barn A SP

SP RI

LIT T LE K ATE RD

S DR

PIPER WAY

LEGEND

248

Park City Dirt Jump Park Rotary Park

Y JO

Wayfinding signage posted at an intersection of offroad trails in Park City, UT. Credit: Amelia Neptune

Creekside Park Prospector Park

Park City High School EU ST O N D R

SNO W CREEK

1 MILE

P RO S P E C TO R

Trail Intersection

E-Bike Share Station

Park

Commercial Districts

Park & Ride

Dog Park

Transit Center

Bike Park

Trailhead

Skate Park

School

PA R K C I T Y V I L L AG E

B O NA NZ A PA R K

Park City Mountain Trailhead

City Park

Park City Mountain Transit Hub Library Dog Park

Park City Skate Park

Old Town Transit Center

OLD TO W N

R RD

Deer Valley Ponds

PARK CITY, UT

E N G I NE E R I NG EQ U I TY & ACC ESS I BI L I TY

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Information Deer Valley Transit Hub

224

D E E R VA L L E Y

The Foundation shares these lessons learned for other communities: “From this project, we’ve learned that to change the paradigm and create a city that honors the Indigenous Place, there must be three components: 1. The leadership of a local culture bearer; 2. Advisory oversight from a broad base of stakeholders; and 3. Involvement of an Indigenous artist if it is appropriate to the project.

It is the combination of these three elements that allow a project to become part of a Movement and live beyond initial contributors to the next generation of our community.”

2: Building Infrastructure for Biking

In Silver-level BFC Anchorage, Alaska, the Anchorage Park Foundation has worked with local Indigenous leaders to incorporate Indigenous place names, culture, and history on trails and in parks. According to Anchorage’s 2021 BFC application, The Indigenous Place Names Project “aims to creatively, accurately, and beautifully highlight the culture and history of Anchorage and our indigenous people.” The effort began when Aaron Leggett, Dena’ina scholar and president of the local Native Village of Eklutna, proposed the project to the Foundation, which then secured funding from the Rasmuson Foundation to begin the work in 2018. The Foundation describes this project as “a movement to bring Dena’ina culture to our built environment and place name signage” to honor the Dena’ina landscape in the Anchorage area. The signs installed through this project are designed by local Indigenous artists. Not only do the artistic placemaking signs feature the original Dena’ina-language names of the places where the signs are located, but they also share stories and help tell the history of the places and their significance to the Indigenous communities who have lived in the region for generations.

Artistic sculpture along the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail. “Nuch’ishtunt” is the Dena’ina word for Pt. Woronzof, and means “place protected from wind.” Photo Courtesy of Anchorage Park Foundation.

ANCHORAGE, AK

E N G I NE E R I NG EQ U I TY & ACC ESS I BI L I TY

BICYCLE FRIENDLY COMMUNITY SILVER

THE LEAGUE

OF AMERICAN BICYCLISTS

2: Building Infrastructure for Biking

" Indigenous place names encompass relationships with the land, water and animals of an environment. To the Dena’ina place names convey a sense of history and oral traditions that inform people about Anchorage’s diverse geography." — D IAN A RH OADES, DIRECTOR O F CO M M U N IT Y EN GAG E M E N T, A N CH O RAG E PA R K FO U NDATI O N, A BRON ZE-LEVEL BICYC LE FRIEN D LY B U S IN ESS Opening ceremony at Hkatidali, the Dena’ina word for Potter Marsh, and which means “drift lumber.” Photo Credit: Mike Conti

DEMONSTRATING SUCCESS WITH POP-UP INFRASTRUCTURE In many places, a community’s very first protected bike lane or cycle track may be a novel idea to most residents and decision makers, sometimes making it more difficult for these facilities to gain public and political support during the planning stages, before anyone has a chance to understand their real impact. To help drivers, cyclists, pedestrians, and other road users to better understand and see the benefits of bike infrastructure, pop-up or temporary demonstration projects have served to educate and inform the community. Coupled with data collection and robust feedback mechanisms, these temporary infrastructure projects can help cities empower their residents to be engaged directly in the planning process, as temporary projects turn into permanent installations.

During the early surges of the COVID-19 Pandemic, many communities experimented with reimagined streets and public spaces to provide residents with more outdoor space for physical activity. In places like Gold-level BFC Oakland, California, and cities and towns across Massachusetts, which is currently ranked first in the League’s Bicycle Friendly States ranking, these quick-build infrastructure projects that slowed down vehicle traffic or created new spaces for walking, biking, dining, and living, served a secondary, longer-term purpose. Across the country, communities found that these temporary efforts effectively demonstrated how the built environment could work better for more people, not just for moving cars quickly.

2: Building Infrastructure for Biking

PART 2.1: CONNECTING NETWORKS: COMMUNITY CASE STUDIES

READ ON >

BOSTON, MA

Video Spotlight: Watch the 2021 National Bike Summit breakout session “Slow Streets and Quick Builds: Infrastructure in the Age of COVID” to learn more about how the City of Oakland, CA, and the Massachusetts State DOT supported temporary infrastructure during the pandemic and what they learned for permanent implementation efforts going forward.

The city’s local bike advocacy organization, Bike Easy, along with a coalition of partners, worked closely with the City of New Orleans to install a threemonth temporary demonstration of a connected and protected bikeway network to show how streets can be transformed to safely and equitably serve

everyone who travels in New Orleans. This temporary demonstration, titled “Connect the Crescent”, was unveiled in September 2018 and provided a platform for community discussions about making mobility in New Orleans safe, usable, and accessible for everyone.

2: Building Infrastructure for Biking

But even before the pandemic, there are examples of cities that have found temporary installations to be a critical first step to building support towards comprehensive connected bike networks. In 2018, the Silver-level BFC New Orleans, Louisiana, began a rapid plan, design, and build approach to expanding and connecting the city’s low-stress bike network. Supported by $10 million in bond funding, this effort would ultimately result in 75 miles of new low-stress bikeways and an update to the City’s bike plan.

Over 200 community residents gave their time as volunteers to make it a success. According to Bike Easy, “because community residents and organizations were in the lead, ‘Connect the Crescent’ was able to be executed quickly and flexibly, while the City’s involvement guaranteed all renovations were fully accountable to the citizens of New Orleans.” Information and momentum from the pop-up was used in the planning and rapid implementation of the City’s permanent protected bikeway network.

READ ON >

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell riding a bike share bike on a pop-up bike lane. Photo courtesy of City of New Orleans, LA.

NEW ORLEANS, LA

E N G I NE E R I NG EVA LUATI O N & P L A NNI NG

BICYCLE FRIENDLY COMMUNITY SILVER

THE LEAGUE

OF AMERICAN BICYCLISTS

Bike ridership increased 20–84% over baseline numbers during demonstration

Business and Resident surveys—Online, intercept, and canvassing

Illegal sidewalk/wrong-way riding decreased

85% of bicyclists overall rated their experience as improved

New Orleans’ bicyclists are demographically diverse, especially in areas underserved by infrastructure

50% of pedestrians rated experience as improved, 50% “about the same”

Vehicle speeds—Median speeds held steady— Max speeds dropped up to 26%

76% of everyday drivers approved of the project’s roadway renovations

5% fewer crashes reported on Baronne two-way protected bikeway relative to predemonstration, while 7% more crashes were reported city-wide and on control streets

73% of businesses indicated a positive impact from the project

Transit ridership increased and on-time performance improved on segment of corridor impacted

Online respondents show clear majority want to see permanent changes; an overwhelming majority do if minor design adjustments are made

2: Building Infrastructure for Biking

KEY FINDINGS FROM THE 3-MONTH PROJECT INCLUDE:

87% (719 of 826) of residents were supportive of the project overall

FIND A GROWING COLLECTION OF POP-UP INFRASTRUCTURE AND TACTICAL URBANISM STUDIES AND REPORTS FROM MORE COMMUNITIES, SUCH AS BISMARK, ND, AND ASHEVILLE, NC, ON THE INTERACTIVE BFC IDEABOOK MAP AT BIKELEAGUE.ORG/BFCIDEAMAP

Video Spotlight: Take a ride on the Connect the Crescent protected bikeway with New Orleans residents.

RESOURCE SPOTLIGHT: Click here to find the Final Report from Bike Easy about the Connect the Crescent project.

2: Building Infrastructure for Biking

" Traffic calming seasonal pop-ups have become popular with neighborhood groups who want to investigate solutions for calming speed issues, busy pedestrian crossings and bike infrastructure. We hope this program expands in the future." — BOZ E M A N, M T (S I LV E R - L EV E L BFC )

Traffic calming pop-up infrastructure in Bozeman, Montana, a Silver-level Bicycle Friendly Community. Photo courtesy of the City of Bozeman.

BUILDING SYSTEMS TO SUPPORT A BETTER BUILT ENVIRONMENT Policies, Funding, Budgets, Staffing, Committees and Plans that Support Bike Networks

2: Building Infrastructure for Biking

PART 2.2

the nearly 30 years the Bicycle Friendly Community program has existed, it is In obvious: the communities rising to Silver, Gold, and Platinum BFC designations are the ones that have built systems to sustain their progress. These communities have the highest bike ridership in the nation because they have invested in years of staffing and planning, established dedicated funding for implementation, and passed the policies needed to institutionalize certain practices, to ensure these investments and efforts continue in the future. That is not to discourage the nascent Bicycle Friendly Communities, but to emphasize that each award starts somewhere, and that the right mix of investments in people, planning, and infrastructure over years can grow into major gains for everyone.

Bike racks in front of the Brunswick Town Hall in Bronze-level BFC Brunswick, Maine. Photo courtesy of the Town of Brunswick.

2: Building Infrastructure for Biking

PART 2.2: BUILDING SYSTEMS TO SUPPORT A BETTER BUILT ENVIRONMENT

WRITING PROGRESS INTO POLICY: LOW-STRESS BIKE NETWORKS In 2015, the Gold-level Bicycle Friendly Community of Cambridge, Massachusetts, passed their original Cambridge Bicycle Plan, which included the ambitious Bicycle Network Vision, outlining over 100 miles of existing and proposed bike facilities across the city. According to the plan website, “The goal is to create a network of streets and off-street paths that are safe, comfortable, and convenient for people of all ages and abilities who want to bike in Cambridge. When complete, the Network will make it easier and more comfortable for people to travel by bicycle to and from homes, jobs, shopping, schools, parks, and other places throughout the city.” While many cities develop ambitious bike plans with ambitious visions for progress, the City of Cambridge took this effort a step further in April 2019 when its City Council passed the Cycling Safety Ordinance, requiring construction of separated bike lanes when

any street included in the Bicycle Network Vision is being reconstructed under the City’s Five-Year Plan for Sidewalk and Street Reconstruction. Since passing this ordinance, the City underwent a robust public engagement process to update their Bike Plan and Bicycle Network Vision in 2020 to allow Cambridge residents to weigh in on the city’s priorities and plans. The City Council also passed amendments to the Safe Cycling Ordinance in 2020 to reflect the updated Bicycle Network Vision, specifying approximately 25 miles of new separated bike lanes to be installed within the next five to seven years. As the city makes steady progress toward these ambitious goals, residents can find project information and updates for specific streets and projects on the City’s Safe Cycling Ordinance website, including ongoing public engagement and feedback opportunities.

BICYCLE FRIENDLY COMMUNITY

Separated bike lane on Massachusetts Ave in Cambridge, MA. Credit: Amelia Neptune

CAMBRIDGE, MA

E N G IN E E R I NG EVA LUATI O N & P L A NNI NG

GOLD

THE LEAGUE

OF AMERICAN BICYCLISTS

WRITING PROGRESS INTO POLICY: BIKE PARKING In addition to providing Activity Friendly Routes to Everyday Destinations, if a Bicycle Friendly Community wants to make bicycling a real transportation option for residents and visitors, there must also be secure, dedicated bike parking available at those everyday destinations. According to the League’s 2021 Reconnecting to the New Majority report (page 4), “Secure bike parking is highly valued— most demographic groups identified it as the second most important intervention for better biking.” For many communities, it isn’t enough to leave it up to those everyday destinations such as grocery stores, restaurants, doctor’s offices, and office buildings, to provide secure bike parking for commuters on their own. The city or town government has a role to play in ensuring this essential basic amenity is provided—and that it is high-quality, secure, accessible, and equitably available.

WASHINGTON, D.C.

In Gold-level BFC Washington, D.C., zoning regulations passed in 2016 removed auto parking minimums across the city and established new bike parking requirements tied to land use categories, as opposed to being tied to the amount of auto parking provided, as they had been previously. Bicycle parking became required for residential buildings, and end-oftrip facilities for bike commuters, including changing rooms, lockers, and showers, are now mandatory for non-residential uses of more than 25,000 square feet.

2: Building Infrastructure for Biking

PART 2.2: BUILDING SYSTEMS TO SUPPORT A BETTER BUILT ENVIRONMENT

READ ON >

RECONNECTING TO

The New Majority

Indoor secure bike parking provided at a mixed use building in Washington, DC, 655 New York LLC-Brookfield, a Silver-level Bicycle Friendly Business. Photos courtesy of 655 New York LLC-Brookfield.

Video Spotlight: Short-Term Bike Parking Practices

2: Building Infrastructure for Biking

In central California’s Gold-level BFC San Luis Obispo, the 2013 Bicycle Transportation Plan (originally adopted in 2013 and amended in 2017) outlines engineering standards for the design and installation of bike parking, and establishes policies for accommodating both long- and short- term bike parking needs, as well as end-of-trip facilities for commuters. Most notably, the Plan also established a policy (2.13) that requires all community events expecting 100 or more attendees to provide free bicycle valet parking.

BIKE PARKING RESOURCE SPOTLIGHTS:

ESSENTIALS

BIKE PARKING Selecting and

installing bicy cle parking

that works

.375 .375

1.5

* 2.75

2.75 4

PARKING

3.875

2 .75

E TO POCKET GUID

D4-3

BIKE PARKING

BICYCLE PARKIN

*See page 6-7 for symbol design. **See page 6-2 for arrow design.

COLORS: LEGEN D & SYMBOL — GREEN (RETROREFLECTIVE) BACKGROUND — WHITE (RETRO REFLECTIVE)

3-34

Video Spotlight: Long-Term Bike Parking Practices

BICYCLE FRIENDLY COMMUNITY

Bicyclist using a low-stress protected bike lane in Gold-level BFC San Luis Obispo, CA. Photo credit: Kelly Donohue, K.Donohue Photography, courtesy of the City of San Luis Opisbo.

GOLD

SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA

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E N G IN E E R I NG 51

"Community support for bicycling has increased significantly in the last 10 years. This has led to a direct increase in funding for bicycle projects and support from decision makers at the City." — EV E R E TT, WA ( BR O NZ E- L EV E L BFC )

Everett city leaders take a bike ride with Washington state representative Rick Larsen. Photo courtesy of city of Everett, WA.

2: Building Infrastructure for Biking

PART 2.2: BUILDING SYSTEMS TO SUPPORT A BETTER BUILT ENVIRONMENT

STAFFING TO SUSTAIN SUCCESS The BFC Application has asked about dedicated staffing and committees for the entirety of the program because this human infrastructure is essential to DATA - of seeing communities with staff, average of Bike Program Staff (FTE)Among to Population policies andany plans turn into action and implementation. over 880 BFC applications submitted between 2015 and 2022, 98% of all BFCs awarded Bronze or higher reported having paid staff who spend at least part of their time on bicycle-focused projects. By comparison, only 89% of BFC applicants that received Honorable Mention, and 45% of communities that received no award, reported having such roles. Additionally, among those communities that do have any dedicated staff, the number of full-time-equivalent (FTE) staff relative to population size increases dramatically across the award levels.

BIKE PROGRAM STAFFING, BY BFC AWARD LEVEL 100% 20,000

100%

99%

97%

40,000

97%

60,000 80,000 100,000 120,000

45%

140,000 160,000 180,000 200,000

Platinum

Gold

Silver

% of BFCs That Have Any Staff Focused on Biking Responsibilities

Bronze

Honorable Mention

No Award

Average Ratio of Bike Program Staff (FTE) to Population

Bicycle Advisory Committees (BACs) and Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committees (BPACs) are common among Bicycle Friendly Communities: 82 percent of all BFCs in the last five years have reported an active BAC or BPAC that meets at least quarterly. Similar staffing and committee structures are also used for specific related focuses, such as in Bronze-level BFC Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where the city established Complete Streets Citizens’ Advisory Committee, or in Silver-level BFC Santa Rosa, California, where the city has had an Inclusion Council since 2011.

2: Building Infrastructure for Biking

In Platinum-level BFC Fort Collins, Colorado, FC Moves is a department within the City’s Planning, Development, and Transportation Service Area that “exists to advance mobility solutions to increase walking, bicycling, transit use, shared and environmentally sustainable modes.” The FC Moves department accomplishes its mission through three primary programs: the FC Bikes Program, Safe Routes to School, and Transportation Planning. Within the FC Bikes Program, the Active Modes Team and Bike Plan Project Management Team work together and with other city staff as well as the city’s Bicycle Advisory Committee to accomplish its goals.

COMMUNITIES WITH A BICYCLE ADVISORY COMMITTEE THAT MEETS AT LEAST MONTHLY

100%

75%

80% 65% 51% 35% 17%

Platinum

Gold

Silver

Bronze

Honorable Mention

No Award

BFCS BY AWARD LEVEL 2015-2022

READ ON >

FORT COLLINS, CO

On-bike cycling education in Platinumlevel BFC, Fort Collins, CO. Photo courtesy of the City of Fort Collins.

SOMERVILLE, MA

More recently, Somerville’s BAC has re-organized along the Five Es, creating subcommittees for each “E” category that each meet monthly, in addition to the full committee’s monthly meetings. According to Somerville’s most recent BFC application, this reorganization around the Five Es “has made a huge impact on the effectiveness of the Committee” as each team has a dedicated focus area in which to be active. For example, the Evaluation & Planning subcommittee has collected data on automobile parking on projects where new bike facilities may require the removal of car parking, to help make the case for this infrastructure change where it is needed.

2: Building Infrastructure for Biking

In Gold-level BFC Somerville, Massachusetts, the Somerville Bicycle Committee was established by the Board of Aldermen ordinance on February 8, 2001. The committee works to improve safety conditions for bicyclists in the City of Somerville, promote bicycling as a means of transportation, and help implement policy, programs, and bike routes for all ages. Members of the committee are appointed by the Mayor, and work closely alongside City staff to support the city’s goal “to become the most walkable and bikeable community in the nation.”

Committee members from the Somerville Bicycle Advisory Committee and Pedestrian and Transit Advisory Committee doing outreach to community members at a Bike Breakfast event. Photo courtesy of the City of Somerville.

YES

PLAN IS CURRENTLY UNDER DEVELOPMENT

Platinum

100

Gold

100%

FUNDING FOR THE FUTURE

Silver

89%

9% 2

Bronze

92%

6% 3

Honorable Mention

78%

No Award

31%

13% 31%

38%

BIKE PLAN HAS A DEDICATED BUDGET FOR IMPLEMENTATION Bike Plans with Dedicated Budgets, by Award Level (2018-2022) 100%

100% 88% 68%

One of the most common questions asked by aspiring Bicycle Friendly Communities is how to pay for the investments they know they need to make. Only 64 percent of Bicycle Friendly Communities report having a dedicated budget for implementation of their bike plan (among the 92% of awardees who have bike plans—see charts to the left), showing a clear need to assist communities in identifying dedicated funding to support the plans, staffing, programming, and infrastructure that has been proven to increase bicycle ridership and safety.

2: Building Infrastructure for Biking

PART 2.2: BUILDING SYSTEMS TO SUPPORT A BETTER BUILT ENVIRONMENT

BFCs WITH BIKE PLANS, BY AWARD LEVEL (2018-2022)

Recent policy wins for bicyclists at the federal level include new and expanded funding opportunities for multimodal and active transportation and other infrastructure. In the 2022 updates to the BFC application, new questions around communities’ budgets and funding help to shine a light on this essential topic and also provide communities with additional guidance and resources about what funding is available to them and how to access it.

59% 41% 25% RESOURCE SPOTLIGHTS:

Platinum

Gold

Silver

Bronze

Honorable Mention

No Award

Federal Funding Resources Federal Transportation Funding Information State Funding Fact Sheets

—SA N LU I S O BI S P O, CA (G O L D - L EV E L BFC )

2: Building Infrastructure for Biking

" To align with the City’s goal to reach 20% mode share for bikes, the City has a policy that 20% of transportation investments must be dedicated to bicycle transportation."

Bicyclists crossing an intersection using a painted bike lane in San Luis Obispo, CA. Photo credit: Jonathan Roberts

"Projects implemented in such a short amount of time and with such high visibility were very impactful to residents and the vote,’ Comeau told the League. ‘Increased bicycle improvements did not go unnoticed and even encouraged more people, people who otherwise may not have been invested in transportation planning, to vote for the funding. Go anywhere in the city and you can see where sidewalks and bikeways were improved. When people see an amazing amount of change and improvement, they want more and are willing to take action for that."

At the local level, residents and people who bike in some of the higher awarded BFCs are also seeing policy and funding wins. In 2010, in response to local demand for increased transit, biking, and walking improvements, the City of Bellingham, Washington, put a 0.2% local sales tax on the ballot to fund their active transportation efforts. In the general election, voters approved of the new sales-tax based transportation fund by 58%, generating approximately $5 million for transportation projects annually between 2011 and 2020. Immediately after the fund was approved, the city began working with citizens to create and adopt a citywide Pedestrian Master Plan and a citywide Bicycle Master Plan. Between 2012 and 2021, the revenue from the transportation fund allowed the city to implement 75 (18%) of the 414 pedestrian projects and 111 (52%) of the 215 bicycle projects in those respective plans.

Washington State law requires ballot-approved funds be renewed every 10 years, putting the fund back on the ballot for Bellingham voters in the 2020 election. The city created an interactive ArcGIS StoryMap website for the Bellingham Transportation Fund to share data, stories, and visualizations to help voters see what the city was able to accomplish with the fund in the past 10 years. Because the city could not directly advocate for voters to say “yes” to a ballot initiative, local advocacy groups including Walk and Roll Bellingham and the Cascade Bicycle Club took to the streets to encourage residents to put their votes in at the poll, using the Bellingham Transportation Fund StoryMap website to make the case. When the general election rolled around in November 2020, the vote to renew the transportation fund for another 10 years passed by a margin of 82%.

2: Building Infrastructure for Biking

Chris Comeau, Transportation Planner for the City of Bellingham, expressed that a large part of the vote’s success could be attributed to how fast the city had implemented its Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plans and the push from community advocates to get the vote on the ballot.

RESOURCE SPOTLIGHT: Learn more about the City of Bellingham’s journey to becoming a Gold-level Bicycle Friendly Community and building support for the Bellingham Transportation Fund on the League Blog.

BICYCLE FRIENDLY COMMUNITY

Bicyclist riding in a buffer-separated bike lane on Cordata Parkway in Bellingham, WA. Photo courtesy of the City of Bellingham.

GOLD

BELLINGHAM, WA

THE LEAGUE

OF AMERICAN BICYCLISTS

EVA LUATI O N & P L A NNI NG 58

PART THREE:

BUILDING SUPPORT BY SUPPORTING BICYCLISTS.

3: Building Support by Supporting Bicyclists

" The community support and collaboration to adopt the City’s first Bicycle Master Plan was outstanding. The City Council was engaged in the process and supported the efforts of the Bike Master Plan Committee. The City continues to support funding for traffic, bike and pedestrian safety programs such as the San Ramon Valley Street Smarts program, bike safety videos, bike education and support to implement a citywide bike share program. — SAN RAMON , CA (B R O NZ E-LEVEL BFC ) Bike Train at a local elementary school to promote the Bike to School program in San Ramon. Photo courtesy of San Ramon, CA.

BUILDING SUPPORT BY SUPPORTING BICYCLISTS Programming and Partnerships to create the feedback loop of support

For a community to make the kinds of investments described in the previous sections—building connected networks of slow, bikeable streets and low-stress bikeways, providing high quality bike parking, and creating systems and policies to ensure equitable access to these facilities—there must first be a spark of motivation. Most commonly, communities find this motivation either through demand from residents or from decision makers who see the obvious data-proven benefits of more bicycling in their communities, such as economic, environmental, health, equity, safety, and quality of life improvements. In the most effective Bicycle Friendly Communities, it is a combination of both pushes from the grassroots and from the pulpits of City Hall that is steering investments. In the BFC program, we see a positive feedback loop across the 5 E Framework where investments in bicycling education, encouragement and equity help to introduce and normalize bicycling as an everyday part of life. Social events, organized rides, cycling skills classes, programming, and partnerships can help introduce bicycling as the humble tool that it is: a convenient way to get around, and a way for people of all ages, races, genders, national origins, income levels, abilities and disabilities to improve their health and mobility options. This normalization, in turn, creates public demand and political will

for better and more connected bike infrastructure as people see the benefit of making bicycling a safe, comfortable, and convenient option for every person who wants to ride. The final step in this feedback loop is to engage and empower residents to actively participate in the political process and demand the changes they want to see.

3: Building Support by Supporting Bicyclists

PART 3.1

In this section, we begin with “The Fundamentals: Access to Bikes & Repair Services” which addresses the foundational question of how communities are ensuring that anyone who wants to ride has access to a bike or adaptive cycle, as well as the ongoing maintenance tools or services to ensure it is safe and rideable. Then, in “Building New Riders: Youth Education Round-up”, we provide case studies from a variety of Bicycle Friendly Communities where bicycling safety education is effectively reaching youth and children both in and out of school, year-round. Finally, under “Building Demand through Programming and Partnerships”, we highlight stories from Bicycle Friendly Communities across the country where bicycling classes, programs, and events do not just serve to educate and encourage, but are creating a communitywide culture shift and the political will to support further bicycling investments.

THE FUNDAMENTALS: ACCESS TO BIKES & REPAIR SERVICES To make cycling a truly equitable and accessible mobility option for everyone, a fundamental question is whether everyone who wants to—or needs to—ride one has access to a safe, working bicycle (or adaptive bike) that meets their needs. The Bicycle Friendly Community program encourages communities to consider this fundamental question in several sections throughout the BFC application: public bike share programs are covered as part of a community’s physical infrastructure in the Engineering section, while the presence of local bike shops and community bike co-ops, as well as bike and equipment giveaway or subsidy programs are all covered in the Encouragement section.

“ Building a Bicycle Friendly America for everyone means building and maintaining safe and connected bike networks with bicycle infrastructure that is appropriate to the street context and the needs of the people living in the community. The communities making improvements in bicycle safety are seeing increases in rates of bicycling, showing they are meeting the demand and need for bicycle networks built to provide safe travel for people of all ages and abilities.”

3: BUILDING SUPPORT BY SUPPORTING BICYCLISTS

PART 3.1

Bike repair station in Decatur, GA.

3: BUILDING SUPPORT BY SUPPORTING BICYCLISTS

PART 3.1 THE FUNDAMENTALS: ACCESS TO BIKES & REPAIR SERVICES

INCREASING TRANSPORTATION INDEPENDENCE AND OPPORTUNITIES In Silver-level BFC Columbia, Missouri, the city’s Parks and Recreation department operates the CoMo Bike Co-op, a fullservice bicycle repair shop out of the city’s Armory Sports and Recreation Center. With a stated goal of facilitating “the ability of low-income and minority groups to enjoy the full benefits of cycling,” the mission of the Co-Op is to increase “transportation independence and recreational opportunities through bicycle ridership, especially among Columbia’s most underserved individuals.” The Co-Op offers both repair and education programs including free walk-in bicycle repair services, refurbished bicycle distribution, instructional workshops and a youth Earn-a-Bike program. The Earn-a-Bike program works with participants aged 13–18, who receive 20 hours of training related to safe cycling and mechanic skills and refurbish donated bicycles for their ongoing personal use.

The CoMo Bike Co-op first opened in 2018 as part of GetAbout Columbia, a collaboration between the city’s Parks and Recreation and Public Works departments, designed to challenge the community “to think differently about how we get about town and experience the benefits and enjoyment of walking and biking.” The GetAbout Columbia project was funded by the Federal Highway Administration’s NonMotorized Transportation Pilot program, which awarded the city $28.3 million in federal funds between 2006 and 2020 to help build infrastructure and raise public awareness and support for active transportation modes. Since the federal grant funding expired in 2020, the Co-Op remains open but now relies on the Parks and Recreation department operating budget as well as local fundraising efforts, donations from local bike shops, and volunteer time to stay open.

BICYCLE FRIENDLY COMMUNITY

Instructional workshop at the CoMo Bike Co-Op’s youth Earn-a-Bike program in Columbia, MO. Inset: The CoMo Bike Co-Op’s first Earn-a-Bike graduating class with volunteers and staff, in 2018. Photos courtesy the City of Columbia.

COLUMBIA, MO

E D U CATI O N E N CO U RAG E M E NT EQ U I TY & ACC ESS I BI L I TY

SILVER

THE LEAGUE

OF AMERICAN BICYCLISTS

78%

Silver

86%

91%

Gold

94%

100%

Platinum

60%

Bronze

40%

60%

80%

Yes Launching in the next 12 months

100%

1 OR MORE EQUITY EFFORT

20%

11%

31%

No Award

30%

Honorable Mention

3: BUILDING SUPPORT BY SUPPORTING BICYCLISTS

100%

4 OR MORE EQUITY EFFORTS

The community's Bike Share Program(s) closed within the last 2 years* No

Platinum

Gold

Silver

Bronze

Honorable Mention

BIKE SHARING PROGRAMS ACROSS BFC AWARD LEVELS (2017-2022)

EFFORTS TO MAKE BIKE SHARING PROGRAMS MORE EQUITABLE (2017-2022)

Survey Question: Does your community currently have a community-wide bike sharing program that is open to the general public? (2017-2022)

Among the 193 BFCs and Honorable Mentions between 2017-2022 that had bike share programs at the time of their application, the following equity-related efforts were reported by the community.

* This answer option was added to the BFC application in 2020, when many BFCs began to report recent closures of their public bike sharing program, primarily as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Survey Question: What specific efforts, if any, have been made to make the bike sharing program more equitable and accessible, including for low-income populations, people with disabilities, and/or non-English speakers?

3: BUILDING SUPPORT BY SUPPORTING BICYCLISTS

"Atlanta’s Chief Equity Officer was an essential part of creating Atlanta’s Bike Share Champions program. This is a workforce development program where 1020 people are hired to do paid part-time outreach in their community about bike share. We have focused on educating and hiring only from underserved communities. This has been an incredibly successful program. One of the most positive outcomes of Atlanta’s support for bicycling is how new infrastructure and bike share has changed the way people in Atlanta view their city. By building highquality connected bikeways, community members have a new sense of place and higher expectation for their local streets. We now have people demanding safety improvements including bike lanes throughout the city. And there is a strong sense of community, compassion and support when discussing new projects." —AT LANTA, GA (BRON ZE-LEVEL BFC ) Atlanta’s Westside Bikeshare Champions. Photo courtesy of the City of Atlanta.

BRINGING BIKE SHARE TO RURAL COMMUNITIES When most people think of bike share programs, they think of big-city public bike share systems with hundreds of kiosks and thousands of bikes on urban street corners. But bike share is available in communities of all shapes and sizes across the country, thanks to public, private, and nonprofit partners who see the value of making bicycles easily available to anyone who wants to ride. In the small town of Iola, Kansas, with a population of 5,400 residents, the local nonprofit health advocacy organization, Thrive Allen County, is a Silver-level Bicycle Friendly Business (BFB) and a recipient of the League of American Bicyclists’ 2022 Community Spark Grants. The local nonprofit employs 20 people and describes itself as “the largest and most prominent rural health advocacy organization in Kansas” which “work(s) relentlessly to make Allen County the healthiest rural community in the state, a community that thrives both physically and fiscally.” Efforts that earned Thrive Allen County a Silver-level BFB designation in 2022 include partnering with neighboring counties to develop the first cross-county rural active transportation plan in Kansas, helping to implement over 45 miles of trails in and around Allen County, and running the free public Allen County Bike Share program.

The bike share program’s shared bikes can be checked out from nine different locations across the community, and include cruiser bikes for both new and experienced riders. The system also features several three-wheeled tricycles for adults with mobility challenges or who are uncomfortable riding two-wheel bikes. When selecting locations for the bike share system, equity and inclusion were at top-of-mind for Thrive Allen County. For example, Community Health Center and Allen County Community College were selected to increase mobility and transportation options for residents with transportation insecurity and for the international student community, respectively.

3: BUILDING SUPPORT BY SUPPORTING BICYCLISTS

PART 3.1 THE FUNDAMENTALS: ACCESS TO BIKES & REPAIR SERVICES

When asked what the most positive outcome of their support for bicycling has been, Kate Schroeder of Thrive Allen County answered: “The success of our bike share program and the positive community response to embracing bikes, we have been able to refurbish old bike share bikes to deal with the lack of transportation within our community. This commitment to building a better biking community in tandem with our efforts to increase recreational amenities have laid the foundation for a thriving biking community.”

A group ride using Allen County Bike Share bikes in Allen County, KS. Photo courtesy of Thrive Allen County.

ALLEN COUNTY, KS

E N CO U RAG E M E NT EQ U I TY & ACC ESS I BI L I TY 66

EQUITABLE AND ACCESSIBLE BIKE SHARE FOR ALL

RESOURCE SPOTLIGHT: Equity of Access to Bicycle Infrastructure: GIS Resource Spotlight: The Better Bike Share Partnership developed an online Equity Dashboard that showcases municipal equity requirements from over 200 bike share and other shared micromobility (e-scooter, etc.) programs around the country.

In Platinum-level BFC Portland, Oregon, the public bike share system BIKETOWN is owned by Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT), operated by Lyft, and supported by title sponsor Nike, Inc. The system serves Portland residents and visitors with 1,500 bikes at over 180 stations. Since the program first launched in 2016, it has made concerted efforts to integrate both equity and accessibility for people with disabilities, to make the system truly available to all. BIKETOWN for All is BIKETOWN’s equity program offering free and discounted BIKETOWN memberships for qualifying residents, including students receiving Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), SNAP recipients, Affordable Housing residents, those qualifying for unemployment assistance, and several other state or federal assistance programs. The BIKETOWN for All program is funded by the state of Oregon’s Department of Environmental Quality’s Clean Fuels Program via the Portland General Electric Drive Change Fund.

Adaptive BIKETOWN is a dedicated program within the BIKETOWN system, offering a range of adaptive cycle rental options for people with disabilities and mobility challenges. Adaptive BIKETOWN offers rentals for a wide variety of hand-pedal, foot-pedal, electric-assist, and multiperson adaptive cycle and accessory options. The first hour of any Adaptive BIKETOWN rental is free, and beyond the first hour, discounts are available for anyone who qualifies for a TriMet Honored Citizens Pass (people with disabilities, people utilizing Medicare, and adults 65 years and over) or who self-identifies as “unable to ride a traditional two-wheeled bicycle, whether due to injury, illness or ability.” Additional limited scholarships are available for those in need, and full-price rentals are available to the general public as well. Rental services include fitting for the adaptive bikes available, free bike helmet and lock use during the rental, and storage of users’ personal mobility devices during their rental period. Adaptive BIKETOWN is made possible through a partnership between PBOT, Nike, and Kerr Bikes.

3: BUILDING SUPPORT BY SUPPORTING BICYCLISTS

Video Spotlight: Learn more about the Adaptive BIKETOWN program, along with several other exemplary bike share programs from other BFCs across the country, in the 2021 National Bike Summit session, Making Bikeshare Stick: Resilience, Access, and Equity in Bikeshare

PART 3.1 THE FUNDAMENTALS: ACCESS TO BIKES & REPAIR SERVICES

3: BUILDING SUPPORT BY SUPPORTING BICYCLISTS

" RIDE Solutions is the transportation demand management program for the RVARC [Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission] area. It conducts extensive programming, and best practices research and support to the local governments, employees, and general public during bike month and beyond. RIDE Solutions hosted the first Pop-up traffic Garden Event in Roanoke at the 2022 Earth Day celebration, and also participated as a key stakeholder in installing the first permanent traffic garden in the City of Roanoke.” — R OA NO K E VA L L EY-A L L EG HA NY R EG I O NA L CO M M I SS I O N (G O L D - L EV E L BI CYC L E F R I E ND LY BU S I NESS) Ribbon cutting event for the first permanent Traffic Garden in the City of Roanoke, Virginia (Bronze-level BFC), at Westside Elementary School. Photo courtesy of the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission.

BUILDING NEW RIDERS: YOUTH EDUCATION ROUND-UP There are many opportunities, and many reasons, to engage with youth to help normalize biking from a young age and establish life-long riding habits for children and their families. The Bicycle Friendly Community application asks communities about the local educational and encouragement programs that exist to introduce biking to children and youth, including in-school and out-of-school programs that teach them how to bike, and how to bike safely, and partnerships and programs that help establish a foundation for life-long appreciation for the benefits of cycling. This section shares just a few of the many innovative ways that local governments and their programmatic partners are helping to facilitate youth cycling education.

ALBUQUERQUE, NM

RESOURCE SPOTLIGHT: >> Discover Traffic Gardens >> National Center for Safe Routes to School >> Walk Bike & Roll to School Day

3: BUILDING SUPPORT BY SUPPORTING BICYCLISTS

PART 3.2

>> Youth Biking Education Materials from the League’s Smart Cycling Program

Group ride with students from Rio Grande High School in Albuquerque, hosted by Esperanza Bicycle Safety Education Center. Photo courtesy of the City of Albuquerque.

IN-SCHOOL PROGRAMS In Gold-level BFC Washington, D.C., the DC Public School (DCPS) system began teaching bicycle education to all second grade students as part of their in-school physical education classes in 2015. DCPS purchased 1,000 bicycles to be used for the program, which includes on-bike handling skills as well as bicycle safety topics such as how to properly fit and wear a helmet, how to use hand signals, and other rules for riding safely on city streets and paths. Many DCPS elementary schools have also installed permanent traffic gardens as part of their outdoor recreation areas, providing young students with a safe space that creatively mimics real-world transportation infrastructure at a child’s scale. In 2011, in Silver-level BFC Simsbury, CT, the Simsbury Public School Board of Education agreed to adopt a Bicycle Safety program as part of the Physical Education (PE) program at the recommendation of the Simsbury Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee. A year later, all public

elementary schools in Simsbury began teaching bike safety in 4th, 5th, and 6th-grade PE classes. The public schools system maintains a fleet of bikes, helmets, and storage facilities to make sure that the program is available to every student, regardless of whether they own or have access to a bike. Simsbury Public Schools has continued to refine and expand the program to more K-12 grades, including an optional summer program for high school students, and has reached thousands of students since the program first began in 2012. The public school system also trains all Simsbury PE teachers to be able to provide bike safety curriculum by offering continuing education credits for attending a training workshop provided in partnership with Bike Walk Connecticut and Simsbury Free Bike. The workshop provides educators with the resources, tools, and skills needed to teach a comprehensive bicycling education safety and skills curriculum in their PE classes, and attracts PE teachers from across Connecticut.

3: BUILDING SUPPORT BY SUPPORTING BICYCLISTS

PART 3.2 BUILDING NEW RIDERS: YOUTH EDUCATION ROUND-UP

Fleet of new bikes used for on-bike lessons in 2nd-grade Physical Education classes at a DCPS Elementary School in Washington, D.C. Photo credit: Amelia Neptune

WASHINGTON, D.C.

E D U CATI O N 70

ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

100%

93%

92% 67% 67%

82%

53%

38% 0%

MIDDLE SCHOOLS

100%

Platinum

100%

66% 45%

Gold

Silver

88%

41%

Bronze

38% 14%

Honorable Mention

31%

No Award

80%

ities with In-School Bicycling Education for Youth, by Award Level (2018-2022) 67% 67% Opportunities % % 35 0%

100%

38%

HIGH SCHOOLS

67% 33% % 16% % 16% 7% 35% 21% 10% 0%

Platinum

28%

Silver

27% 16%

Bronze

26% 4%

Honorable Mention

No Award

35%

10% 10%

100% 76%

67%

Gold

42%

While bicycling youth education is fairly common among Bicycle Friendly Communities (85% of BFCs awarded Bronze or higher since 2018 reported any in-school education in Elementary schools, for example), there is significant room for improvement in expanding and improving these programming efforts. Often these programs are limited to only a few schools, or they only consist of an all-school assembly featuring a bike safety presentation, as opposed to providing handson learning opportunities to actually practice safe riding skills on a bike. On the left, the figures show the percentage of communities at each BFC award level that offer any bicycling education in any schools, for elementary, middle, and high schools, as compared with the percentage of communities where biking education occurs in at least half of the schools in those categories, as well as the percentage of communities provide a fleet of bike for students to receive on-bike cycling education.

3: BUILDING SUPPORT BY SUPPORTING BICYCLISTS

PERCENT OF COMMUNITIES WITH IN-SCHOOL BICYCLING EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUTH, BY AWARD LEVEL (2018-2022)

64% 33%

32%

Platinum

Gold

47%

33% 16%

16%

Silver

21%

Bronze

21%

Honorable Mention

No Award

Communities with any in-school bike education At least 50% of the schools offer in-school bike education Bikes are available to students for on-bike education

3: BUILDING SUPPORT BY SUPPORTING BICYCLISTS

PART 3.2 BUILDING NEW RIDERS: YOUTH EDUCATION ROUND-UP

AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAMS In Bronze-level BFC Tulsa, OK, an after-school program called Bike Club serves over 25 elementary and middle schools across Tulsa, and counting. Each school year, Bike Club begins in late September and runs through early May, with a group of roughly 20 students and five volunteers from each school, including faculty members from the participating school. Volunteers are recruited and trained over the summer before the school year begins. In the fall, students and adult volunteers meet weekly after school to ride bikes and work on cycling skills, life skills, and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) skills. The spring semester focuses on offcampus rides and experiences.

“Bike Club immediately became a part of Emerson’s culture,” said Principal Tammie States, who leads Emerson Elementary, the first elementary school where Bike Club was introduced in 2014. “The program serves multiple roles for participating children. The volunteers encourage engagement, leadership, good citizenship and participate as mentors to many of the children as well.” “I’ve just seen positive changes,” said States. “[The students] have taken more of a leadership role. Not only in Bike Club, but in their classrooms. They feel good about themselves because they are a part of something that is unique.”

Students who complete the program earn a bicycle and helmet. All equipment needed to run club activities, such as bicycles, helmets, safety vests, curriculum, drill supplies, maps, etc., along with adultsize bicycles for volunteers, are provided to each participating school.

BICYCLE FRIENDLY COMMUNITY

Bike Club Skills Camp participant from Tulsa Dream Center. Photo credit: Melissa Lukenbaugh

TULSA, OK

E D U CATI O N E N CO U RAG E M E NT

BRONZE

THE LEAGUE

OF AMERICAN BICYCLISTS

SUMMER PROGRAMS

NEW ORLEANS, LA

The Bronze-level Bicycle Friendly Community Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, WA, hosts a week-long, bike day camp for kids aged 10–16 each summer. This course focuses on safe riding, bike maintenance, cycling skills and trail stewardship. Scholarships are available for families who are unable to afford the cost of the camp.

Two Wheelers Club offers a learn-to-ride program for kindergartners through 3rd graders. For older students, the Coach-in-Training program offers instruction and group rides for middle schoolers, working closely with the Wheelkids program staff to offer students leadership opportunities, training, and mentorship.

In San Francisco and Palo Alto, CA (both Gold-level BFCs), Wheelkids Adventure Riding Camp program offers a combination of summer camp, riding skills instruction and bike maintenance, plus rides for both elementary and middle school students ranging from 1st through 7th grade. For younger students, the

In Silver-level BFC New Orleans, LA, the city’s Recreation Development Commission (NORDC) partners with local advocacy group Bike Easy to host “Road Riding 101” at a Summer Youth Outdoor Camp, taught by local League Cycling Instructors (LCIs).

3: BUILDING SUPPORT BY SUPPORTING BICYCLISTS

PART 3.2 BUILDING NEW RIDERS: YOUTH EDUCATION ROUND-UP

Summer Youth Outdoor Camp "Road Riding 101" participants gear up for a ride In New Orleans, Louisiana. Photo courtesy of the City of New Orleans.

3: BUILDING SUPPORT BY SUPPORTING BICYCLISTS

More than just a bike shop, the Charlotte Re-Cyclery is a resource for learning bicycle mechanics, cost-efficient repair, accessories and refurbished bikes. This community bike shop is also part of Trips for Kids Charlotte, a local chapter of the national network of Trips for Kids programs around the U.S. Learn more at tripsforkids.org. Photo courtesy of Trips For Kids Charlotte.

BUILDING DEMAND THROUGH PROGRAMMING AND PARTNERSHIPS The “Education” and “Encouragement” categories of the Bicycle Friendly Community’s “5 E” framework are the places where collaboration and creativity are most often needed to move the needle in building a Bicycle Friendly Community for everyone. For some communities, partnerships like the ones described in the following case studies in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Tucson & Eastern Pima County Region, Arizona, are the best way for a community to reach broad audiences through inclusive classes, programs, and events. In other communities, engaging with the private sector through tools like the Bicycle Friendly Business program has proven to be an effective way to reach bike commuters and foster a positive bike culture for residents and visitors alike. And finally, some communities have found that creative home-grown solutions like a city-run annual commuter challenge or bike shop and education center are the key to successful and sustainable bike programming.

The Bicycle Friendly Community program has seen many combinations and iterations of these tactics, and each community is encouraged to seek out the solutions that will be most effective for them. The most successful collaborations are based on the principles of equity and equitable engagement—they listen to the needs of the community and partner with and empower the groups already working in those communities. Communities that work to identify and adopt the unique solutions to meet the needs of people who bike there are sure to find that supporting cyclists of all ages, skill levels, and abilities, will in turn help build support for the community to further improve through better bicycling.

3: BUILDING SUPPORT BY SUPPORTING BICYCLISTS

PART 3.3

2023 Community Spark Grant Awardee Limitless Cycling, is a Cycling Without Age affiliate in Hudson, WI. Limitless Cycling brings piloted adaptive bicycles to seniors, veterans, and those who can no longer bicycle independently to create an outdoor experience and the opportunity for volunteerism. Photo courtesy of Matthew Stepaniak, Limitless Cycling.

PART 3.3 BUILDING DEMAND THROUGH PROGRAMMING AND PARTNERSHIPS

3: BUILDING SUPPORT BY SUPPORTING BICYCLISTS

ANN ARBOR, MI

PARTNERSHIPS TO SUPPORT NEW CYCLISTS AND BUILD BIKE CULTURE In Gold-level BFC Ann Arbor, Michigan, the city has prioritized sustainable growth, notably through the A2Zero Carbon Neutrality Plan, and therefore sees promoting more bicycling as essential to the city’s greener future. Each summer, the city hosts a monthlong “Commuter Challenge” competition, challenging residents to commute to work by bicycle, bus, or foot as often as possible over the course of the challenge. The month culminates with the Ann Arbor Mayor’s Green Fair and Bike Fest, which features local bicycling clubs, shops, and organizations and ways to get on a bike year round. The city engages with many local partners across the community and region to expand on its bicycling education and encouragement efforts. Like many districts throughout the country, Ann Arbor Public Schools hosts a Bike to School Day and encourages bicycling as a part of the city’s 100% commitment to Safe Routes to School. Ann Arbor’s downtown

association, getDowntown, provides commuting programs and services for downtown employees, including hosting a “Conquer the Cold” month-long challenge for winter bicycle commuters. The Conquer the Cold challenge encourages non-car trips through commute tracking and educational seminars. Local bike shop Wheels in Motion hosts a Worst Day of the Year community bike ride in January in partnership with getDowntown and other local businesses. As the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) has implemented multiple bikeways in downtown Ann Arbor, the community hosts bikeway opening celebrations, which include bike helmet fitting, bike helmet giveaways, rules of the road discussions, mobile repair stands, turn box training, test ride stations for cargo and adaptive bikes, and bike decorating with reflective stickers and bells. READ ON >

BICYCLE FRIENDLY COMMUNITY

This page and next: Bicyclists using low-stress facilities, and attending a 2022 Learn and Ride educational event in Ann Arbor, MI. All photos courtesy of the City of Ann Arbor.

E D U CATI O N E N CO U RAG E M E NT EQ U I TY & ACC ESS I BI L I TY

GOLD

THE LEAGUE

OF AMERICAN BICYCLISTS

3: BUILDING SUPPORT BY SUPPORTING BICYCLISTS

Other external partners, including Program to Educate All Cyclists (PEAC), Common Cycle, SicTransit Cycles, Wheels in Motion, the Ann Arbor Bicycle Touring Society, the Bicycle Alliance of Washtenaw, the Washtenaw Bicycling and Walking Coalition, and the getDowntown Program all promote bicycling through community rides for families, mountain bikers, road bicyclists, city youth, casual bicyclists, new bicyclists, commuters, refugees, women, and people with disabilities. As these educational and encouragement efforts engage with new riders, Ann Arbor has found that ridership and demand for new bike facilities are only increasing, making it easier for the city to further increase investments in bicycle infrastructure and programming.

“ The most positive outcome of our community’s support for bicycling has been the rise in mode share of bicycle trips. More than 1 out of every 10 trips taken in Ann Arbor is a bicycle trip. The current statistic is twice as high as the statistic reported in the previous application and exceeds goals set by previous plans. Even further, 36% of all trips within Ann Arbor are made by walking, biking, or transit. Simultaneously, the community support for bicycling has led to an explosive growth in bicycle infrastructure in the past few years. The city has introduced multiple protected bikeways and a new tunnel to the extensive network of shared-use paths. These on-street and offstreet networks are both heavily utilized by bicyclists. All of this information aligns with the City’s carbon neutrality goal for 2030. Looking at the big picture of Ann Arbor—our goals, and our current practices —it brings the city pride to say that our current practices are in line with our goals.” —A NN A R BO R, M I (G O L D - L EV E L BFC )

ANN ARBOR, MI 77

PCHD has worked with local partners including tribal nations, the Tucson Indian Center, teachers, and community leaders across the region in a concerted effort to diversify the local pool of League Cycling Instructors (LCIs). PCHD was able to use funding from their REACH (Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health) grant from the CDC to host three LCI seminars between April 2019 and March 2020,

3: BUILDING SUPPORT BY SUPPORTING BICYCLISTS

In Gold-level BFC Tucson & Eastern Pima County Region, Arizona, one primary source of bike education is the Pima County Health Department (PCHD). In 2018, Pima County moved its Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Program, which is responsible for educational outreach efforts, from the Department of Transportation to the Health Department. PCHD now has a dedicated Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Program Coordinator and provides bike education programming for the region such as in-person and online bike safety presentations to bike clubs and other groups upon request, as well as “Bike Buddy” style one-on-one coaching for youth and adults who want to learn to ride or improve their cycling skills.

resulting in 29 new LCIs. “By increasing the diversity of LCIs, community partners are taking the lead in teaching bike safety in their own communities,” says Elaine Mariolle, PCHD’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Program Coordinator. “Several of the new LCIs have been hired as bike ambassadors to teach in the middle school bike program in their own community.” The PCHD bike program intentionally works with schools and community groups that have been historically underrepresented and underfunded in the bicycling community. These educational efforts have resulted in more regular bike culture-building encouragement and engagement activities by new local LCIs and partner organizations across the region. For example, Indigenous Road Warriors runs weekly Rez Rides at both the Pascua Yaqui Pueblo and the Tohono O’odham/San Xavier District for youth and adults. Hear from the co-founders of Indigenous Road Warriors, as well as some of the other 29 new LCIs, on the League blog. RESOURCE SPOTLIGHT: >> Become a League Cycling Instructor >> Find local League Cycling Instructors in your area

Victoria Cupis (left), a member of the Tohono O’odham Nation, and Iris Coronado (right), a member of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe in Tucson, AZ, are co-founders of Indigenous Road Warriors (IRW), as well as League Cycling Instructors and winners of the League’s 2021 Educator of the Year Award. Photo courtesy of IRW.

TUCSON, AZ

E D U CATI O N E N CO U RAG E M E NT EQ U I TY & ACC ESS I BI L I TY

BICYCLE FRIENDLY COMMUNITY GOLD

THE LEAGUE

OF AMERICAN BICYCLISTS

PART 3.3 BUILDING DEMAND THROUGH PROGRAMMING AND PARTNERSHIPS

ENGAGING BICYCLE FRIENDLY BUSINESSES Since the Bicycle Friendly Business (BFB) program launched in 2008, over 2,300 businesses and organizations across the U.S. have used the program to evaluate and improve their efforts to support and promote bicycling, both internally among their own employees, and externally for their customers and the broader community. A range of government agencies and local partners, from health departments to chambers of commerce, have also used the BFB program as a tool to engage the local private sector in bicycling improvements to achieve other shared goals for the community, be it health and wellness, livability, sustainability, or economic growth. Cities, towns, and counties have also used the BFB program to improve their own workplaces internally by applying to the program as employers. In Gold-level BFC Fayetteville, Arkansas, the city itself has been a Bicycle Friendly Business since 2010, originally at the Bronze level and moving up to Silver-

level BFB status in 2021, thanks to internal efforts to support bicycling for the 700+ employees who work there. The city’s 5-person Sustainability Department Office became a Platinum-level BFB in 2017, in addition to the city’s overall status. Today, the city is home to over 35 Bicycle Friendly Businesses across a range of sectors. Motivated by both sustainability and economic development, the city has partnered with Experience Fayetteville, the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce, and local bike advocates at Trailblazers of Northwest Arkansas (formerly BikeNWA) to host “BFB Bootcamp” workshops for local employers. These free workshops engage local businesses to identify low-hanging fruit and make improvements, and then assist them in applying for the BFB designation when they are ready, resulting in the steady growth of BFBs in Fayetteville and across Northwest Arkansas over the last several years.

BICYCLE FRIENDLY COMMUNITY

Every Tuesday evening in May, Fayetteville’s Experience Fayetteville Dinner Roll program offers complimentary bike valet to people who ride their bikes to participating restaurants. Photo courtesy City of Fayetteville.

GOLD

FAYETTEVILLE, AR

E N CO U RAG E M E NT

THE LEAGUE

OF AMERICAN BICYCLISTS

THERE ARE 217 PUBLIC AGENCY EMPLOYERS AWARDED THROUGH THE BFB PROGRAM, INCLUDING:

15 28

Bicycle Friendly Communities that are also a BFB for a primary administrative building

Other Municipal Agencies

Federal Agencies

Regional Planning Agencies

Public School Districts or K-12 Schools

Public Universities or Community Colleges

8 8

State DOT’s

Other Statewide Agencies

Park Districts

5 Public Health Agencies

Local or Regional Transit Agencies

Public Libraries

Parks, Civic Spaces or Similar

4 3 1

County Agencies

Public Utilities

Police Departments

Airport

Tourism Bureaus

County Commissioner’s Office

OF AMERICAN BICYCLISTS

Bronze-level BFC Tampa, Florida, holds the title of the top city with the most Bicycle THE LEAGUE BRONZE Friendly Businesses overall, with over 70 individual businesses currently holding a BFB designation. This achievement was no coincidence: after the City of Tampa first applied to the BFC program in 2014 and received Honorable Mention status, the city recognized an obvious area of improvement on their Honorable Mention BFC Report Card to focus their efforts: zero Bicycle Friendly Businesses. The Tampa Downtown Partnership (TDP) worked quickly to secure funding from the Florida state DOT and organize a strategy to improve this metric. TDP hired a local social entrepreneur, Pedal Power Promoters, to consult directly with local employers and help them become BFBs, starting with iconic and culturally significant BICYCLE FRIENDLY COMMUNITY OF AMERICAN BICYCLISTS

businesses known to be local trendsetters in the community. In the first year of this effort, Pedal Power Promoters and the TDP helped 25 businesses apply to the program, 19 of which earned BFB awards that year. Since then, the Bicycle Friendly Business program has caught on across other neighborhoods and districts beyond downtown Tampa, and the city’s 70+ total current BFBs include major employers such as Tampa General Hospital, Tampa International Airport, and Hillsborough County Public Schools. In Gold-level BFC Santa Monica, California, a Platinum-level Bicycle Friendly Business GOLD THE LEAGUE called The Bike Center provides monthly and annual memberships to daily bike commuters. Membership benefits include 24/7 access to secured bike parking, showers and lockers with towel services, free bike commuting consultation, and discounted rates on bike repairs and retail items. The Bike Center also operates as a bike shop offering repairs and comprehensive service center for commuters and visitors alike, including services such as bike tours, rentals, Bicycle Friendly Business consultation, bike safety education, and year-round bike valet during business hours. BICYCLE FRIENDLY COMMUNITY OF AMERICAN BICYCLISTS

3: BUILDING SUPPORT BY SUPPORTING BICYCLISTS

The city of Walker, Minnesota, is a Bronzelevel BFC and one of the smallest communities THE LEAGUE SILVER in the BFC program, with a population of just over 900 residents. This small lakeside city boasts an impressive trail network and saw an opportunity to attract more cyclists to visit their community to use the scenic trail system. The Leech Lake Area Chamber of Commerce began recruiting businesses along the trails to become Bicycle Friendly Businesses in 2018, and became a Bicycle Friendly Business themselves as part of the city’s first wave of applications. Over twenty local businesses from Walker have applied to the BFB program since then, and Walker now has over a dozen Bicycle Friendly Businesses ranging from Bronze to Platinum awards, the most BFBs per capita of any community in the nation. BICYCLE FRIENDLY COMMUNITY

The city of Santa Monica’s Safe Routes to School departments also partnered with The Bike Center and local advocacy organization Sustainable Streets to launch an electric-assist family cargo bike loaner program in 2020, allowing parents and caregivers of students at participating elementary schools to check out a family cargo bike for a one-week trial period at no cost to the participants.

Paul Nye, owner of Platinum-level Bicycle Friendly Business Back Street Bicycle Service & Repair in Walker, MN, with the shop’s outdoor repair stand. Photo courtesy of Paul Nye.

WALKER, MN

E N CO U RAG E M E NT 81

"We serve as a positive business case for community investment in bike infrastructure and amenities. Our location was created by removing 27 car parking spaces and replacing them with hundreds of bike parking spaces. The City provided an open shell and our business model now generates about 35% more revenue for the City than it would have received from the car parking had it remained intact. Our business is based on a public/ private partnership and one other significant outcome is the return on investment to the City and community at large. In particular, the retrofit project cost roughly $2.25 million with the City providing a local match of $791,000 towards the total cost. Within the first eight years of operations The Bike Center was able to completely offset the full cost of the local match from the City through rent and revenue sharing from operations. We believe this demonstrates a best case scenario for ROI of a transportation project to a local municipality.” — THE BI K E C E NTE R, P L ATI NU M - L EV E L BI CYC L E F R I E ND LY BU S I NESS (SA NTA M O NI CA , CA) A bicyclist uses The Bike Center’s valet parking services for their family’s bikes in Gold-level BFC Santa Monica, CA. Photo courtesy of The Bike Center.

3: BUILDING SUPPORT BY SUPPORTING BICYCLISTS

PART 3.3 BUILDING DEMAND THROUGH PROGRAMMING AND PARTNERSHIPS

HOME-GROWN, COMMUNITY-LED PROGRAMMING While local partnerships and grassroots coalitions are often at the core of successful bicycle programming, the BFC program has seen a number of communities where the local government has stepped up to fill educational and encouragement programming needs.

The small mountain Town of Vail, Colorado, a Silver-level BFC with 5,000 residents, runs an annual Sole Power Challenge, a green commuter challenge every May to October. The Sole Power Challenge encourages active commuting as well as active transportation for non-work related trips, including biking, walking, running, and skating. Supported by many local businesses and neighboring jurisdictions, the program is free and open to the entire regional community. The Sole Power Challenge has active groups on the Love to Ride platform and Strava to engage with larger national programs, and to date over 180,000 active transportation miles have been logged by Sole Power participants.

BICYCLE FRIENDLY COMMUNITY

Two Sole Power Challenge participants using human powered commuting to get to work in Vail, Colorado. Photo courtesy of the Town of Vail.

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Throughout the year, Esperanza hosts a variety of classes and programs on a range of topics such as bicycle safety, road use and traffic law, mechanics, and riding skills. Esperanza also offers adaptive cycling/hand cycling classes to support cyclists with disabilities, as well as women-specific classes

and classes for predominantly Spanish-speaking individuals. According to the city, a large share of the individuals served through Esperanza’s programs are people experiencing unstable housing, University students, people with lower incomes, and older adults. Esperanza typically maintains regular business hours with walk-in service, as well as Open Bike Clinics for the general public to use the shop’s workstations, tools, and used bikes for practice with repairs. The Open Bike Clinics have replaced previous group bike repair classes as the center found the one-on-one education model to be more effective at teaching and addressing riders’ specific needs. Esperanza also contracts with educators for in-school instruction, working in schools to encourage safe bicycling behaviors during the year. These include bike rodeos in schools to provide lessons for students to practice and develop safe bicycling skills. During COVID, Esperanza remained active in the community by hosting pop-up bike clinics throughout the city and at signature community events.

BICYCLE FRIENDLY COMMUNITY

Group ride with students from Rio Grande High School in Albuquerque, hosted by Esperanza Bicycle Safety Education Center. Photo courtesy of the City of Albuquerque.

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3: BUILDING SUPPORT BY SUPPORTING BICYCLISTS

In Silver-level BFC Albuquerque, New Mexico, a city with over 550,000 residents, the Esperanza Bicycle Safety Education Center is the primary bicycle education facility. Unlike most community bike shops and education centers, which are operated as non-profits that rely on fundraising and donations, Esperanza is operated by the City’s Parks and Recreation Department and is completely funded by the City of Albuquerque’s operating budget as part of “Basic Services”. The goals of the Center are to increase “the safety, selfsufficiency, and comfort of recreational, fitness, and utility riders alike.” In addition to three full-time employees, Esperanza hires up to eight seasonal staff members during peak riding seasons. All staff at Esperanza that engage in bicycle education are League-certified League Cycling Instructors (LCIs).

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The Adaptive Cycling Center in Bronze-level BFC Reno, Nevada, is operated by the City of Reno and originated from an action plan developed during a 2022 Bicycle Friendly Community workshop hosted by the League of American Bicyclists. Photo: Military Sports Camp Veteran Participants on a ride hosted by Adaptive Cycling Center, Reno, NV. Photo credit: Alpine Media House, courtesy of the City of Reno.

THE BICYCLE FRIENDLY COMMUNITY PROGRAM

IN CONCLUSION Bicycling has the potential to transform communities: creating more opportunities for physical activity, providing alternatives to carbon-emitting single occupancy vehicles, improving mobility options for people who can not drive or do not have access to a vehicle or public transit, building social connections and economic opportunities for more people, and improving safety and livability through more human-scaled infrastructure that prioritizes people over cars. For the benefits of bicycling to be felt more broadly, communities must commit to making bicycling a safer, easier, more convenient option. The nearly 900 applicant communities and 500 awarded Bicycle Friendly Communities have shown communities of all shapes and sizes in every state across the U.S. are working to become better for bicycling through a wide variety of tactics.

While this book cannot encapsulate every great idea seen throughout the Bicycle Friendly Community program, the range and variety of examples highlighted were selected to help other communities to think creatively and holistically about how they approach this work. Each community is unique, and the most effective approaches and tactics to increase bicycle ridership, safety, and comfort may differ from place to place. The examples in this book hopefully inspire new ideas and expanded efforts in more communities, because every community has the potential to become bicycle-friendly. As communities and local partners across the country continue to innovate, and as challenges and opportunities continue to evolve, there will be an ongoing need to showcase and highlight new and evolving ideas to inspire and motivate more new places.

The League of American Bicyclists will continue to collect and share the great ideas we see from places participating in the Bicycle Friendly Community program, and invite you to help us in this work to build a Bicycle Friendly America, for everyone. If your community is doing something innovative that could help inspire other communities, reach out to the League to share your story, and have your community apply to the BFC program to receive recognition for their efforts, as well as feedback and guidance to continue to improve. If your community is just beginning to focus on this work, encourage them to apply to the BFC program to benchmark their early status and, more importantly, to receive feedback from the League to help guide their efforts.

"Being involved with the City’s support role and policy direction over the years, the expectations and dialogue have changed for the better. Early on it was more of an approach to consider and carve out the easy or low hanging opportunities. Then the shift moved to accommodate and tackle much more challenging projects. This is not just true for planning and infrastructure, but for the other E’s too. Today, the conversations are now more on public health, quality of life, and safety which reflect a high expectation to provide high quality facilities. Looking back the process was more cautious and implemented facilities that have little or no impact on motorists. Today, more elected officials, business leaders, and residents seem to get the big picture even if supporting bicycling does not directly benefit them. Yes there will always be the negative and cynical views, but overall there has been a significant shift towards supporting bicycling.” — BLO O M I NGTO N, I N (G O L D - L EV E L BFC ) All-women’s bike ride in Bloomington, Indiana, in front of the public mural installation “Jensai Crossing” by artist Justus Roe at the 7th Street Underpass, which has provided an important connection in Bloomington’s bicycle network.

APPENDIX

• Find a full list of links to all resources, videos, and case studies referenced in the BFC Ideabook: bikeleague.org/BFCIdeaBook • Find the online, interactive map version of the BFC Ideabook, including links to more information about each community case study: bikeleague.org/BFCIdeaMap • Find the Bicycle Friendly Community program’s online glossary: bikeleague.org/BFCglossary • Learn more about the Bicycle Friendly Community program: bikeleague.org/community • Apply to the Bicycle Friendly Community program: apply.bikeleague.org • Diver deeper into data from the BFC Ideabook and beyond: data.bikeleague.org

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Appendix

RESOURCES AND LINKS TO MORE INFORMATION

Written by Amelia Neptune, League of American Bicyclists Edited by Lauren Jenkins, League of American Bicyclists Layout & Creative Direction by halupka studio • ha-lup-ka.com Thanks to additional reviewers: Bill Nesper, Raven Wells, Anna Tang, Marlee Townsend, and Hatidza Zaganjor. Special thanks to all the Bicycle Friendly Communities, Bicycle Friendly Businesses, and other local organizations and partners that contributed stories, quotes, photos, and inspiration for the Bicycle Friendly Community Ideabook. Thank you for your contributions not only to the BFC Ideabook, but to creating a more Bicycle Friendly America, for everyone. Thank you to the CDC’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity for supporting the Bicycle Friendly Community Ideabook as part of the Active People, Healthy NationSM Initiative, an effort to help 27 million Americans become more physically active by 2027. Questions about this publication or the Bicycle Friendly Community program? Contact bfa@bikeleague.org.

THE BICYCLE FRIENDLY COMMUNITY IDEABOOK

JOIN OUR MISSION ABOUT THE LEAGUE

WE BELIEVE

OUR VISION

For generations past and to come, THE LEAGUE represents bicyclists in the movement to create safer roads, stronger communities, and a Bicycle Friendly America. Through education, advocacy and promotion, we work to celebrate and preserve the freedom cycling brings to our members everywhere.

— Bicycling brings people together.

is a nation where everyone recognizes and enjoys the many benefits and opportunities of bicycling.

— When more people ride bikes: — Life is better for everyone;

OUR MISSION

—C ommunities are safer, stronger and better connected;

is to lead the movement to create a Bicycle Friendly America for everyone. As leaders, our commitment is to listen and learn, define standards and share best practices to engage diverse communities and build a powerful, unified voice for change.

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THE BICYCLE FRIENDLY COMMUNITY IDEABOOK

ABOUT ACTIVE PEOPLE, HEALTHY NATION SM

Active People, Healthy NationSM is a national initiative led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to help 27 million Americans become more physically active by 2027. Increased physical activity can improve health, quality of life, and reduce health care costs. Regular physical activity can help reduce the risk of at least 20 chronic diseases and conditions and provide effective treatment for many of these conditions. Other potential benefits include better school performance and improved military readiness. Building active and walkable communities can help support local economies, result in less air pollution, and create more cohesive communities.

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