Bicycle Friendly America℠

The League’s Bicycle Friendly America program provides a roadmap, hands-on assistance and recognition for states, communities, universities and businesses. The BFA℠ program is a tool for states, communities, business and universities to make bicycling a real transportation and recreation option for all people.
Click on a state in the map below to see the Bicycle Friendly State ranking, and a summary list of Bicycle Friendly Communities, Businesses, and Universities within the state.

Much more than an awards program, the BFA program is making biking better for cyclists across the country.
- Sets standards for what constitutes a real bicycling culture and environment
- Affects decisions on how communities, businesses, universities and states grow
- Inspires action, involvement and coordination among people that want to improve conditions for bicyclists
- Guides progress by acting as a roadmap for what communities, businesses, universities and states should do next
- Rewards persistence as people respond to feedback, make changes and come back again and again to get recognition.
- Raises expectations as to what really is expected and involved in making a great place for bicycling
The 5 E's for a Bicycle Friendly America
The most visible and perhaps most tangible evidence of a great place for bicycling is the presence of infrastructure that welcomes and supports it. Survey after survey shows that the physical environment is a key determinant in whether people will get on a bike and ride. The most advanced Bicycle Friendly Communities and Bicycle Friendly Universities have a well-connected bicycling networks, consisting of quiet neighborhood streets, conventional and protected bike lanes, shared use trails, and policies to ensure connectivity and maintenance of these facilities. Secure, convenient and readily available bike parking is also a key component. For Bicycle Friendly Businesses, great bike parking in addition to showers and locker facilities are vital to promoting bicycling both in the workplace and wider community.
Offering a lot of ways for people to get the skills and confidence to ride is key to building great places for bicycling. At the community level this begins with bicycle-safety education being a routine part of public education. Communities, businesses and campuses can offer options for adults looking to improve their biking skills with everything from online tips, brown bag lunch presentations and in-depth on-bike training opportunities. The League’s Smart Cyclingprogram, and more than 2,000 League Cycling Instructors around the country, are a great resource in delivering high quality education programs. It is also vital to make motorists and cyclists aware of their rights and responsibilities on the road through public education campaigns that promote the Share the Road message.
Communities, businesses and universities play a critical role in encouraging people to ride by giving them a variety of opportunities and incentives to get on their bikes. This can be done through the celebration of National Bike Month℠ and Bike to Work Day, producing community bike maps, route finding signage, bicycle-themed celebrations and rides and commuter challenges. Many places are investing in public bike sharing systems and internal fleets, which are a convenient, cost effective, and healthy way of encouraging people to make short trips by bike.
Basic laws and regulations need to govern bicycling and the rules of the road to ensure safety for all road users. With a good set of laws and regulations in place that treat bicyclists equitably within the transportation system, the next key issue is enforcement. Law enforcement officers must understand these laws, know how to enforce them, and apply them equitably to ensure public safety. A good relationship between the bicycling community and law enforcement is essential; for example, a police representative can participates on a Bicycle Advisory Committee to increase awareness on both sides. Similarly, having more police officers on bikes helps increase understanding of cyclists’ issues. On college and university campuses, theft prevention is a huge undertaking. Having law enforcement partners and great policies in place is essential to promoting bicycling.
Metrics are essential. A comprehensive bicycle master plan, in combination with dedicated funding and active citizen/organizational support is the foundation of a great bicycling community, business or university – indeed, progress without it is difficult. A successful plan focuses on developing a seamless cycling network that emphasizes short trip distances, multi-modal trips and is complemented by encouragement, education and enforcement programs to increase usage. A dedicated Bicycle Program Coordinator and an effective Bicycle Advisory Committee can play an important role in helping decision makers create, implement, and prioritize those bicycle programs and policies.
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The BFC program provides guidance to make your distinct vision for a bikeable community a reality.

Where does your state rank? Learn more about our annual ranking by clicking here.

Through our Bicycle Friendly Business program, employers are recognized for their efforts to encourage a more bicycle friendly atmosphere.

The Bicycle Friendly University program recognizes institutions of higher education for promoting and providing a more bicycle-friendly campus for students, staff and visitors.
Who's Involved?
Members include:
» Jennifer Toole, Toole Design Group
» Julia Diana, City of San Antonio
» Natalie Cappucio Britt, Palmetto Conservation Foundation
» Jeff Olson, Alta Planning+Design
»
Robert Ping, Safe Routes to School National Partnership
» Tim Potter, Michigan State University
» Jim Sebastian, DC Office of Transportation Planning
» Sarah Strunk, Active Living By Design
» Zoe Kircos, Bikes Belong Coalition
» Alan Turnbull, National Park Service
» Andy Williamson, International Mountain Bike Association
» Ariadne Delon Scott, Stanford University
» Robbie Webber, Bike Walk Madison
» Carl Sundstrom, Pedestrian & Bicycle Information Center
» Ed Barsotti, League of Illinois Bicyclists
» Rob Sadowsky, Bicycle Transportation Alliance
» Eleanor McMahon, Share the Road Cycling Coalition, Canada
» Tom Huber, Toole Design Group
Browse and Search
Our complete database of Bicycle Friendly states, communities, businesses and universities. GO »
BFA Program Deadlines
BFA Brochure
BFA Guide
Quick Assessment
Answer our scorecard to see if you're ready to apply and learn what to do next. GO »