Bicycle Friendly Community

Wilmington, NC | Bronze Level

Community Highlights: In the last 5 years, Wilmington tripled their mileage of bike facilities. Concomitant with the increase in facilities and aggressive cycling programs offered in collaboration with community partners, ridership has also increased tremendously. The city’s bicycle task force included numerous organizations to assist with the planning, promotion, and programming for the new bike boulevard. For the Cross City Trail, the City of Wilmington was awarded $75,000 in state funds and $2 million in ARRA funds which funded large portions of 2 phases of the trail. This will expand the bicycle network’s existing 160 miles of bike lanes and 20 miles of bike path. The Bicycle Ambassador Program provided on street outreach for bicyclists and pedestrians in the area. The program provides safety materials to bicyclists, bicyclists rights and responsibilities handouts, and maps. Bicyclists are taught about safe crossing procedures, helmet safety and rules of the road. In 2009 and 2010 Wilmington received two grants- Fit Community and Eat Smart Move More- that focused on promoting physical activity and healthy eating in traditionally underserved communities. The Cape Fear Cyclist club membership has skyrocketed from less than 100 members five years ago to over 400 members today. The area high schools are interested in creating cycling clubs, and one has already begun.

Most Recent Bicycle-Related Accomplishment: The City of Wilmington constructed North Carolina's first bicycle boulevard in 2010-- the Ann Street Bicycle Boulevard. This serves as the downtown portion of the River to Sea Bikeway and connects residents with multiple schools, community centers, churches, parks, historic district, museums, businesses, UNCW & the Riverfront Farmers Market.