Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In

Central cities don't have a monopoly on making cycling a safe and convenient choice for residents. In the latest round of the League of American Bicyclists' bicycle-friendly communities program, several suburbs made a strong showing.

false

The League's Liz Murphy shares a few examples of the suburban communities that won recognition for their efforts:

Suburban towns, like Menlo Park, Calif.; Elmhurst, Ill.,; and Ferguson, Mo. are showing large urban centers aren't the only areas making biking better for millions of Americans.

Menlo Park, Calif., moved up to Silver status in this round by making significant improvements through its partnership with Facebook, a Gold-level Bicycle Friendly Business. Since its last application to the BFC program, Menlo Park has added miles of bike lanes and boosted its share of bike commuters to 8 percent -- more than doubling its bike commuters in the last 10 years...

Ferguson, Mo., a suburb of St. Louis, has led the way with its education and encouragement policies, including an Earn-a-Bike program that's free to local youth...

Outside Chicago, Elmhurst, Ill., has so many children who bike to school -- between 10 and 20 percent -- that they recently had to install hundreds of additional bike racks to local schools.

"We applaud Elmhurst," said Ed Barsotti, executive director of the League of Illinois Bicyclists. "They could have been content with the major regional trail going through their suburb. Instead, they took a holistic approach to becoming bike-friendly through education, encouragement, and expansion of the bike network."

Elsewhere on the Network today: Better Institutions shares a recent analysis by a Toronto mortgage broker showing that it pays to live in a place where you don't have to drive everywhere, even if the housing costs more. The State Smart Transportation Initiative outlines a new MIT study that found emissions from vehicles caused an astounding 53,000 premature deaths in 2005. And Bike Portland says a new protected bike lane has resulted in a 15 percent increase in cycling on that street.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Beach Reading: Zohran Mamdani’s Answers to Streetsblog’s Mayoral Candidate Survey

Spend the holiday weekend with Zohran Mamdani's answers to Streetsblog's mayoral candidate questionnaire.

July 4, 2025

Friday Video: Why NYC Needs ‘Low-Traffic Neighborhoods’

London's Church Street, like so many of our business corridors, was choking on cars — until the advent of the low-traffic neighborhood.

July 4, 2025

Friday’s Headlines: E-Bikes in Parks … Permanently Edition

The Parks Department will permanently allow e-bikes in city parks following a two-year pilot. Plus more news.

July 4, 2025

Anti-Miracle On 34th Street: Adams Administration Pauses Work On 34th Street Busway

The highly-anticipated 34th Street busway may not happen under Mayor Adams after all, sources said.

July 3, 2025

Manhattan DA Says Alleged Central Park Hit-and-Run Cyclist Didn’t Flee, Drops Charges

Prosecutors said the 30-year-old cyclist "remained on the scene for about 45 minutes after the crash and waited for paramedics to arrive to treat the injured person."

Sean Duffy’s ‘Great America Road Trip’ Wants You to Drive to Central Park

Sean Duffy's "Great American Road Trip" encourages Americans to drive to sites in the most transit-rich and car-choked parts of the country.

July 3, 2025
See all posts