ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Tree Town’s commitment to creating cyclist-safe spaces has gotten the attention of the League of American Bicyclists.
The organization has given the city a gold-level Bicycle Friendly Community (BFC) award for promoting sustainable transportation choices and for offering more equitable transportation resources, city officials said.
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“We’re pleased the League of American Bicyclists has recognized the work done in Ann Arbor to improve cycling,” said City of Ann Arbor transportation manager Raymond Hess in a release.
“This honor is a testament to the hard work of the City of Ann Arbor, our elected officials, our partners, and the community at large. Collectively, we are working together to give people safe and sustainable choices in travel to all the places they want to go. We also take this honor with a great deal of humility as we know there is still far more work to be done as laid out in our Moving Together Towards Vision Zero - City of Ann Arbor Comprehensive Transportation Plan.”
As part of the Bicycle Friendly America program, the gold-level award recognizes Ann Arbor’s dedication to bettering cycling conditions within the city, including investments in cycling education programs, events, infrastructure and cyclist-friendly policies.
Tree Town is the first community in Michigan to have gold-level BFC status, according to the League of American Bicyclists.
BFC awards come in five categories: bronze, silver, gold, platinum and diamond. More than 850 communities around the United States have applied for BFC awards, with only 497 actually receiving one.
Only 35 communities were ranked at the gold level, while 348 were at bronze, 109 at silver, just five at platinum and none at the diamond level.
The City of Ann Arbor said several of its initiatives were cited in its award application. Among them were the William Street Bikeway, the First Street protected bike lanes, the Allen Creek Berm project, 20 lane miles of planned bicycle facilities and the current and future ages and abilities network within the city.
Other gold-level cities include Santa Cruz and San Francisco California; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Aspen, Colorado; Seattle, Washington; and Scottsdale, Arizona.