Last week, the League of American Bicyclists announced the most recent additions to the ranks of Bicycle Friendly Communities, which means this StreetsWiki entry is ripe for an update:
The Bicycle-Friendly Communities Campaign is an awards program administered by the
League of American Bicycliststhat recognizes municipalities actively supporting bicycling. [1]Cities wishing to be designated a Bicycle-Friendly Community completean application which covers bicycling facilities as well as relatedtraffic enforcement, promotion of bicycling, and education ofbicyclists and drivers to create a better environment for bicycling.
The League of American Bicyclists recognizes newlydesignated Bicycle Friendly Communities with an awards ceremony, aBicycle-Friendly Community road sign, and a formal press announcement.As of May 2008, only two communities -- Davis, California, andPortland, Oregon -- had received a platinum rating, the highestavailable. There were 82 cities designated gold, silver, or bronze. Atotal of 212 communities had applied for BFC designation since theprogram’s inception in 2003.
The League has been admirably stingy in doling out the coveted platinum rating. Now there's a third city joining Portland and Davis at the top of the ranks: Boulder, Colorado. (New York's a bronze.)
If, like me, you're curious about how Boulder has become a great biking town, stay tuned to Streetfilms. Clarence Eckerson is on location this very moment, gathering footage and interviews to tell the story.
