Arlington has received national recognition for the popular Minuteman Bikeway as well as the municipal bike-rack installation program and current plans to improve bicycling safety on Mass. Ave. in East Arlington and at the bikeway crossing in Arlington Center.
The League of American Bicyclists in Washington, D.C., ranked the town at the bronze level as a bicycle-friendly community.
“We are honored to receive this national award,” Town Manager Adam Chapdelaine said in a news release Monday, May 14. “It’s great to see increasing activity and interest in bicycling in Arlington and beyond, and we thank the Arlington Bicycle Advisory Committee (ABAC) for its dedication and efforts to improve local bicycling conditions and safety.”
ABAC completed and submitted the town’s application for the honor in February, and the league announced the award this month, which is National Bike Month.
The application process involved a comprehensive audit and review of Arlington’s engineering, education, encouragement, enforcement and evaluation and planning efforts for bicycling.
Arlington’s application will serve as the foundation of an Arlington Bicycle Master Plan, which will help the Town evaluate current progress and future improvements. The designation will also make the town more competitive when applying for future transportation, tourism, and community safety grants.
“The popularity of the program is clear evidence that investment in bicycling is a major catalyst in creating the kind of vibrant communities people want to live in, work, and visit,” said League President Andy Clarke. “There are now 214 BFCs in 47 states across America. This award recognizes Arlington’s commitment to improving conditions for bicycling through investment in bicycling infrastructure, education programs and community outreach.”
The program provides a detailed framework, professional assistance and award recognition for communities that actively support bicycling. It offers a national roadmap for classifying and evaluating a bicycle-friendly community, and the application has become an educational tool in itself.
Since the program’s inception, more than 500 communities have applied for recognition, and the four levels of the award (platinum, gold, silver, and bronze) provide an incentive for communities to continuously improve.
To learn more about the national BFC program, visit www.bikeleague.org/community.
