Bicycle Friendly Community

Spartanburg, SC | Bronze Level

Community Highlights: City leaders have made creating a more Bicycle Friendly Community a priority in Spartanburg. A Bike Town Initiative has made bicycle infrastructure a priority and increased bicycle facilities and education investments. Spartanburg began a Hub Cycle bike-sharing program and holds popular events, like the Assault on Mount Mitchell and the annual downtown criterium. Bicycle lane mileage has quadrupled and the number of bicycle racks has increased fivefold since the Bike Town Initiative. The BFC award inspired the city and led to the development of a new county and citywide Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan.  

Best Result of Designation: Spartanburg installed four miles of new bike routes in its urban area in 2008. The routes are a combination of striped bike lanes and sharrow markings. They create safe corridors and connect low-income areas and the liberal arts college to downtown, historic neighborhoods, ball fields, hiking trails and the local high school.