Davis, California, Bicycle Capital of the U.S.: Where Does Your Community Stand?

Are you aware that May is National Bike Month? Bicycle enthusiasts all over the United States will be attending events throughout the month to celebrate this four-week holiday. From bike shops to bicyclist advocate groups to environmentally conscious organizations, groups with an intense interest in promoting the act of riding a bike will use this holiday designation as a prime motivation to meet other enthusiasts and to spread awareness about various benefits of the hobby to those who may otherwise never even consider them. It is an opportunity to honor and inspire those who already ride to become more involved and to encourage people who don't ride a bike to understand why perhaps they should.

There are many groups in this country who spend the majority of their work's focus on advocating for the regular use of bicycles as leisure tools and modes of transportation; many of them are using this National Bike Month holiday to officially kickoff new campaigns and recognize those who have had significant impact on the cause. One campaign of particular interest is that of the League of American Bicyclists. It's called the Bicycle Friendly Communities Campaign and it was designed as a way to award those cities or towns that have gone out of their way to accommodate bicycling and even better, encourage it. Riding a bicycle is not only a great way to promote physical fitness but it also helps reduce the amount of pollution in the environment. By taking dedicated measures to support the use of bicycles for transportation and leisure purposes, community officials have the opportunity to set themselves apart, as a government who not only takes actions to make their town or city a more healthy and safe place to live and visit but who also cares genuinely about contributing to its residents' overall quality of life. At a time where the state and health of our environment on Earth is a major universal concern and obesity is one of the largest issues in United States public health, a move like this would surely benefit every party involved.

After the League of American Bicyclists committee involved with the Bicycle Friendly Communities Campaign reviews a city or town's application for recognition in the program, the members of the board do some hands on research. They interview bicyclists of the community and selected locations are awarded with either a Platinum, Gold, Silver or Bronze level of recognition. Award winning communities receive an awards ceremony by the League of American Bicyclists, a Bicycle Friendly Community sign for their city or town and a formal announcement of their winning status to the press.

As of now, the highest award has been given to a bicycle friendly community known as Davis, California. The city, also called the "Bicycle Capital of the U.S.", has been apparently taking measures to accommodate its many bicycle riders for a very long time. Such methods of making them feel more welcome and safe when using this mode of transportation include wider streets, extensive bike networks, actively participating government officials, and a mutual respect between motorists and cyclists when sharing the city's streets. This last one, though obviously something that has developed over time, has added to the overall pleasant and friendly community setting of Davis and contributes to its long-standing "bicycling culture".

Gold award winners of the Bicycle Friendly Community Campaign include: Boulder, Colorado; Corvallis, Oregon; Madison, Wisconsin; Palo Alto, California; Portland, Oregon; San Francisco, California; and Tuscon/Pima Eastern Region, Arizona. Silver award winners are: Bellingham, Washington; Eugene, Oregon; Folsom, California; Fort Collins, Colorado; Gainesville, Florida; Jackson, Wyoming; Santa Barbara, California; Scottsdale, Arizona; and Tempe Arizona. Bronze and Honorable Mention community award winners are listed here: http://www.bicyclefriendlycommunity.org/AllBicycleFriendlyCommunities.htm

The League of American Bicyclists desires to help educate about and advocate for more bicycle friendly communities in as many places in the United States as possible. Bicycle enthusiasts for sport or hobby and those that use bicycling as a means of transportation are encouraged to take action to help get their individual communities involved in this campaign. Various initiatives those interested can take include starting bicycle advocacy groups or joining already existing bicycle advocacy groups.

Another great way you can help advocate for more bicycle friendly communities is by sending a donation to the League of American Bicyclists on behalf of your local efforts for your particular community. A current campaign by the League, in fact, makes it easy for you to do just that. The goal of this campaign is to make city officials aware of the need for a safe and welcoming bicycle community as well as give them some extra funds to carry out some of the necessary tasks to create one. Bicyclists in various communities are encouraged to get together to help jumpstart this campaign in their local area.

The campaign committee would ultimately like to raise the proper amount of resources needed to send every mayor in the country a copy of the League of American Bicyclists Bicycle Friendly Community Action Kit. Once a community gets $75 or more of donation funds toward this campaign, a kit will be sent out promptly to their city officials. The kit will contain: A booklet called Bicycle Friendly Communities-Enhancing Cities Through Cycling, which outlines the case studies of 46 of the nations most bicycle friendly locations; an application form to allow the officials to get started in applying for the Bicycle Friendly Community awards; a letter on behalf of the donors encouraging the officials to make better changes for the bicyclists; and an invitation for an opportunity to experience a workshop about the various aspects of becoming a bicycle friendly community, conducted by League of American Bicyclists affiliated experts. For more information on how you can help this mission, visit http://www.bikeleague.org/programs/communities/