The League of American Bicyclists is proud to announce Traverse City as one of our prestigious bronze-level 2009 Bicycle Friendly Communities. “The League is delighted to recognize Traverse City for its efforts to welcome bicyclists and make bicycling safer and more enjoyable,” stated League President Andy Clarke. “We applaud Traverse City for their willingness to invest over the long-term in creating a better, more livable environment for their citizens.” The League is recognizing 13 new Bicycle Friendly Communities and three BFC renewals.
The BFC award recognizes Traverse City’s commitment to improving conditions for bicycling and its practice of making focused investment in bicycling programs and facilities. The BFC judges were particularly impressed with Traverse City’s trail system, cycling events, bike advocacy groups and the local bike club. Clarke noted the impressive advances of all BFC applicants and stated, “This round of applications had more communities with newer and stronger bike plans than all previous reviews.”
Traverse City is a stand-out community in Michigan for their initiative and progress to become more bicycle-friendly. The BFC’s reviewers were impressed with the area’s excellent trail system, Boardman Lake Trail Bridge, miles of bike lanes on city streets, TART-in-Town bicycle routes, annual Smart Commute Week program coaching people to use a bicycle as alternative transportation in addition to recreation and exercise, the Safe Routes to School program and the community’s commitment to improving cycling facilities.
The BFC program is revolutionizing the way states and communities evaluate their quality of life, sustainability and transportation networks, while allowing them to benchmark their progress and work toward improving their bicycle-friendliness. The application process to become a BFC is rigorous; currently only 108 of the 274 applicants have a BFC four-year designation. The renewal process and four levels of the award – platinum, gold, silver and bronze – provide a clear incentive for communities to continuously improve. The new and expanded BFC program began at the League in 1995, and in the past 14 years it has evolved into the tool it is today – evaluating, recognizing and improving cities, states and businesses.
Applicants complete a detailed on-line form with numerous questions in five key areas: engineering, education, encouragement, enforcement, and evaluation/planning. Local cyclists, national experts, and League staff review the applications. To learn more about the League’s Bicycle Friendly Community program, visit http://www.bicyclefriendlyamerica.org.