Becoming a Bicycle Friendly Community℠

Bicycling is more than a practical, cost-effective solution to many municipal challenges. It’s an opportunity to make your community a vibrant destination for residents and visitors — a place where people don’t just live and work, but thrive.

The Bicycle Friendly Community℠ (BFC℠) program provides a roadmap to improve conditions for bicycling and the guidance to make your distinct vision for a better, bikeable community a reality.

A community recognized by the League as Bicycle Friendly℠ welcomes bicyclists by providing safe accommodation for cycling and encouraging people to bike for transportation and recreation. Encouraging bicycling is a simple way towards improving public health. With more people bicycling, communities experience reduced traffic demands, improved air quality and greater physical fitness.

Building such a community can translate into a more connected, physically active, and environmentally sustainable community that enjoys increased property values, business growth, increased tourism, and more transportation choices for citizens.

Testimonials

“It built recognition of what we have done, which helps getting funding for the very long list of what we still have to do. Having the honor actually made it easier for us to give a frank assessment of where we lag and help build political support for future phases.”

—Wayne Feiden

Director of Planning and Development, Northampton, MA

“We knew this recognition would be important to our civic and business leaders, and that the metrics set out in the League’s application would be important measures for us.”

—Allan Crawford

Bike Long Beach