Today, the League of American Bicyclists recognized Rochester with a Bronze Bicycle Friendly Community (BFC) award, joining 464 visionary communities from across the country. The Bronze BFC award recognizes Rochester’s commitment to improving conditions for bicycling through investment in bicycling promotion, education programs, infrastructure and pro-bicycling policies.
With the announcement of 61 new and renewing BFCs today, Rochester joins a leading group of communities in every state that are transforming the American landscape. “We applaud these communities for making bicycling a safe and convenient option for transportation and recreation,” said Bill Nesper, Executive Director at the League of American Bicyclists.
City Engineer Dillon Dombrovski states, “The City of Rochester celebrates this designation along with the Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Committee. It is representative of the efforts made to date. We stay committed to making enhancements to the growing system as it is a critical component of our multi-modal transportation network. We look forward to future BFC rankings in the future. I’d especially like to thank committee member Barbara Beck, who gathered and prepared the majority of the application materials.”
Since the Bicycle Friendly Community program’s inception over 20 years ago, more than 800 distinct communities have applied for recognition. The program provides a roadmap to building a Bicycle Friendly Community for communities of all shapes and sizes. The rigorous application process is an educational tool in itself, and includes an opportunity for local bicyclists to provide input on their experiences and perceptions of bicycling in their community.
Barbara Beck, a Board member with We Bike Rochester shares, “We Bike Rochester is very pleased that Rochester has renewed its designation as a Bronze level Bicycle Friendly Community and looks forward to improving on this designation, by, among other things, helping local businesses achieve the Bicycle Friendly Business designation. We are excited that Rochester will be installing its first protected bike lanes in 2019, which will greatly enhance the safety of our roadways for bicyclists and motorists alike. We look forward to contributing to the active transportation shift for the Rochester community.”
To learn more about the BFC program, visit https://bikeleague.org/community. A formal presentation will be made at the City Council meeting on December 17, 2018.
