City of Davis logoThe City of Davis announced today that the League of American Bicyclists re-certified Davis as a Platinum level Bicycle Friendly Community.  Every four years, the City completes the re-certification application to be designated as a bicycle friendly community for which it has earned Platinum status since 2005.  This award recognizes the Davis community for its commitment to providing safer streets and better bicycling for everyone.

 

The League of American Bicyclists’ Bicycle Friendly America program sets the standard for how communities build and benchmark progress toward making biking better. This round of awards includes 51 new and renewing awardees, joining a total of 485 current Bicycle Friendly Communities in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The Platinum award recognizes Davis’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.

“I want to thank our Davis community and city staff for their efforts in seeking this renewed designation,” said Mayor Gloria Partida.  “This designation is symbolic of all that goes into our infrastructure, outreach and programming created by staff and community partners.  This award is well deserved.”

The 2020 Bicycle Friendly Community application evaluates communities by five criteria: (1) education; (2) engineering; (3) ridership, crashes, fatalities; (4) evaluation; and (5) encouragement. More than 850 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.

 

“This Bicycle Friendly Community award is the culmination of years of work put in by the Davis community and its citizen advocates for better biking. As we turn the page on 2020 and look ahead to 2021, we’re proud that Davis and communities like it are embracing bicycling as a solution to our collective recovery” said Bill Nesper, executive director of the League of American Bicyclists.

To learn more about the BFC program, visit www.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.

 

For more information, contact:
Jennifer Donofrio, City of Davis Bike and Pedestrian Coordinator, jdonofrio@cityofdavis.org