Today, the League of American Bicyclists recognized Wenatchee, East Wenatchee and Rock Island along with Chelan and Douglas counties, collectively as the “Greater Wenatchee Metropolitan Area” with a Bronze Bicycle Friendly Community (BFCSM) award, joining more than 325 visionary communities from across the country.
With the announcement of 55 new and renewing BFCs today, “Greater Wenatchee” joins a leading group of communities, in all 50 states, that are transforming our neighborhoods.
“Visionary community leaders are recognizing the real-time and long term impact that a culture of bicycling can create,” said Andy Clarke, President of the League of American Bicyclists. “We applaud this new round of communities for investing in a more sustainable future for the country and a healthier future for their residents and beyond.”
The BFC program is revolutionizing the way communities evaluate their quality of life, sustainability and transportation networks, while allowing them to benchmark their progress toward improving their bicycle-friendliness. With this impressive round, there are now 326 BFCs in all 50 states. The Bronze BFC award recognizes a commitment by the communities of the Wenatchee Valley to improving conditions for bicycling through investment in infrastructure, bicycling education activities and pro-bicycling policies.
“I am thrilled the League of American Bicyclists has recognized the hard work of the transportation community in our region,” said Wenatchee Mayor Frank Kuntz.
“The bicycle plan is a great new tool for cities and counties that we can use every time we look at our priorities for funding,” said East Wenatchee Mayor Steve Lacy following adoption by WVTC of the Greater Wenatchee Bicycle Master Plan.
“The award solidifies the work and efforts of the Regional Bicycle Advisory Board over the past few years. This national recognition provides another step toward reaching the vision set forth in the Greater Wenatchee Bicycle Master Plan. I am excited to have the award report card to share with the WVTC Board members and community partners for additional planning efforts,” said Deb Miller, a member of the Regional Bicycle Advisory Board.
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 apply or learn more about the BFC program, visit bikeleague.org/community.