Today, the League of American Bicyclists honored the efforts of the City of Lakeland to build better places for people to bike with a Bronze-level Bicycle Friendly Community (BFC) award. Lakeland joins over 400 communities across the country in the movement for safer streets and better bicycling for everyone. The award recognizes the city for its commitment to creating transportation and recreational resources that benefit its residents of all ages and abilities while encouraging healthier and more sustainable transportation choices.
“Building better places to bike is a shared effort,” said Bill Nesper, executive director of the League of American Bicyclists. “The communities recognized here are part of a growing national movement, taking practical steps to support bicycling as a safe, accessible, and valuable part of everyday life.”
The League of American Bicyclists’ Bicycle Friendly America program sets the standard for how communities build and benchmark progress toward making biking better. The League strives to provide continual updates to the application as part of our commitment to help communities raise their standards for safety, equity, and accessibility.
This round of awards includes 79 new and renewing awardees, joining a total of 444 current Bicycle Friendly Communities in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The Bronze BFC award recognizes Lakeland’s commitment to improving conditions for all people who bike through investments in bike education programs, regular bike events that promote and encourage people to choose biking, pro-bike policies, and bike infrastructure.
“The City of Lakeland is honored to be recognized for our commitment to support and promote bicycle accessibility for our community. We appreciate our partnership with the League of American Bicyclists, along with our local partners, all of whom are collaborators in providing safe pathways for all modes of transportation,” said City of Lakeland Mayor Sara Roberts McCarley.
Over 900 communities have applied for recognition by the Bicycle Friendly Community program, which provides a roadmap to making biking better for communities of all shapes and sizes. While the award process considers very visible elements such as bike infrastructure, other essential elements include efforts around adult and youth bike education, encouragement through events like Bike to Work Day, evaluation mechanisms, and enforcement all through the lens of equity. The rigorous application process is an educational tool in itself, and includes an opportunity for local bicyclists and active transportation advocates to provide input on their experiences and perceptions of bicycling in their community.
The five levels of the BFC award – diamond, platinum, gold, silver and bronze, plus an honorable mention category – provide a clear incentive for communities to continuously improve. Awarded communities must renew their status every four years to ensure that they not only maintain existing efforts, but also keep up with changing technology, national safety standards, and community-driven best practices.
To learn more about the BFC program, visit bikeleague.org/community.
About the League of American Bicyclists
The League of American Bicyclists leads the national movement to create a Bicycle Friendly America for everyone. With a history dating to 1880, the League is committed to engaging diverse communities and building a powerful, unified voice for change around protecting and promoting bicyclists’ rights. Learn more at www.bikeleague.org.