Thursday, May 11, 2017
Fairfax County Receives Bike-Friendly Community Bronze Level
Congratulations to Fairfax County for becoming a Bronze level Bicycle Friendly Community. A special thank you to county bicycle program staff for their hard work and dedication. The county has been making great progress in becoming more bike-friendly over the past several years.
While we still have a long way to go before it's safe and convenient for all residents to bike, we now have a Bicycle Master Plan unanimously approved by the Board of Supervisors, new bike lanes throughout the county as part of the summer repaving program, Bicycle Parking Guidelines, very successful Bike to Work Day and Bike to School Days, a new bicycle safety program implemented by the Safe Routes to School Coordinator, and many other accomplishments. FABB has been a strong advocate of all of this work so thanks to all the FABB volunteers who have worked hard over the years to foster this effort.
From Fairfax County's Bicycle Friendly Community news release:
Today, the League of American Bicyclists recognized Fairfax County with a Bronze level Bicycle Friendly Community (BFCSM) award. The Bronze level BFC award recognizes Fairfax County’s commitment to improving conditions for bicycling through investment in bicycling promotion, education programs, infrastructure and pro-bicycling policies. The BFC program provides a benchmark for communities to evaluate these conditions and policies, while highlighting areas for improvement. The national scope of the program also promotes competition and comparison between communities - with 416 currently recognized BFC there is always a model for your community to be found.
“The Fairfax County Bicycle Program began just over 10 years ago and receiving this designation is a significant accomplishment," said Fairfax County Bicycle Program Coordinator Adam Lind. "The County has a growing network of off-road trails and on-road bike facilities, and we recently joined the Capital Bikeshare family. We also recently released the updated Fairfax County Bicycle Map just in time for the 2017 Bike to Work Day on May 19," continued Lind. "Receiving a Bronze designation is just the beginning as we continue to design and build safe streets for all, and strive to become a silver level Bicycle Friendly Community.”
Read Fairfax County BFC Report Card
With the announcement of six (6) communities moving from an Honorable Mention to Bronze, nine (9) communities receiving a Bronze award on their first application, and 22 renewing BFCs today, Fairfax County joins a group of communities, in all 50 states, that are transforming their neighborhoods. There are now 416 communities currently recognized with a BFC award for their efforts to make biking better.
“We applaud these communities for making improvements for people who bike in a ways that build upon their existing strengths and are based upon their particular needs, whether that is infrastructure, education, or encouragement,” said Bill Nesper, Executive Director at the League of American Bicyclists. “We are encouraged by the way that communities are using bicycling as a part of their solution to issues of health, job access, traffic safety, and the environment and using our program to make progress in those issues. We look forward to continuing to work with these communities as part of our mission to build a Bicycle Friendly America for everyone.”
The BFC program provides a roadmap to building a Bicycle Friendly Community and the application itself has become a rigorous and an educational tool in itself.Since its inception, more than 800 distinct communities have applied and the five levels of the award — diamond, platinum, gold, silver and bronze — provide a clear incentive for communities to continuously improve. To learn more about the BFC program, visit bikeleague.org/community.
“The Fairfax County Bicycle Program began just over 10 years ago and receiving this designation is a significant accomplishment," said Fairfax County Bicycle Program Coordinator Adam Lind. "The County has a growing network of off-road trails and on-road bike facilities, and we recently joined the Capital Bikeshare family. We also recently released the updated Fairfax County Bicycle Map just in time for the 2017 Bike to Work Day on May 19," continued Lind. "Receiving a Bronze designation is just the beginning as we continue to design and build safe streets for all, and strive to become a silver level Bicycle Friendly Community.”
Read Fairfax County BFC Report Card
With the announcement of six (6) communities moving from an Honorable Mention to Bronze, nine (9) communities receiving a Bronze award on their first application, and 22 renewing BFCs today, Fairfax County joins a group of communities, in all 50 states, that are transforming their neighborhoods. There are now 416 communities currently recognized with a BFC award for their efforts to make biking better.
“We applaud these communities for making improvements for people who bike in a ways that build upon their existing strengths and are based upon their particular needs, whether that is infrastructure, education, or encouragement,” said Bill Nesper, Executive Director at the League of American Bicyclists. “We are encouraged by the way that communities are using bicycling as a part of their solution to issues of health, job access, traffic safety, and the environment and using our program to make progress in those issues. We look forward to continuing to work with these communities as part of our mission to build a Bicycle Friendly America for everyone.”
The BFC program provides a roadmap to building a Bicycle Friendly Community and the application itself has become a rigorous and an educational tool in itself.Since its inception, more than 800 distinct communities have applied and the five levels of the award — diamond, platinum, gold, silver and bronze — provide a clear incentive for communities to continuously improve. To learn more about the BFC program, visit bikeleague.org/community.
Labels: bicycle friendly community, bronze level, Fairfax County
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