City of Columbia designated a Bronze-level Bicycle Friendly Community

The City of Columbia has been designated as a Bicycle Friendly Community at the Bronze level by the League of American Bicyclists.  The Bicycle Friendly Community program is a national recognition program administered by the League of American Bicyclists; there are currently 485 Bicycle Friendly Communities in the United States. Receiving a designation as a “Bicycle Friendly Community” is a designation with real meaning; it is difficult to earn and important to renew.

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.

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.

The City of Columbia has been designated as a bronze-level community since 2008; the designation is a four-year designation.  The University of South Carolina is currently a designated a silver-level Bicycle Friendly Campus, and Cycle Center, Cola Town Bike Collective, & Bank of America Plaza are all designed Bicycle Friendly Businesses).  Bicycle Friendly designations within South Carolina can be accessed at http://bikeleague.org/bfa/awards#community.

For more information, visit http://bikeleague.org/community  or contact the Planning and Development Services Department at 803-545-3222.  For more information about the Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Council (BPAC), visit https://www.columbiasc.net/planning-preservation/bpac