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SANTA FE, February 2, 2024 –Today, the League of American Bicyclists honored the efforts of the City of Santa Fe to build better places for people to bike with a Silver-level Bicycle Friendly Community (BFC) award. The City joins 480 communities across the country in the movement for safer streets and better bicycling for everyone. The award recognizes the City for its commitment to creating transportation and recreational resources that benefit its residents of all ages and abilities while encouraging healthier and more sustainable transportation choices.
"Today, we celebrate 58 new and renewing Bicycle Friendly Communities that exemplify an ongoing commitment to make bicycling safe, comfortable, and accessible to all," said Bill Nesper, executive director of the League of American Bicyclists. "This round of awards is a testament to the dedication of the growing network of changemakers who with the League are raising the standard of what it means to be a Bicycle Friendly Community."
The League of American Bicyclists’ Bicycle Friendly America program sets the standard for how communities build and benchmark progress toward making biking better. This round of awards includes 58 new and renewing awardees, joining a total of 480 current Bicycle Friendly Communities in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The Silver-level BFC award recognizes Santa Fe’s commitment to improving conditions for all people who bike through investments in bike education programs, regular bike events that promote and encourage people to choose biking, pro-bike policies, and bike infrastructure.
The City’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) worked with City staff and community partners to submit a comprehensive application that included data from numerous sources. BPAC aims to eventually obtain Gold and Diamond Level designations upon reapplication.
"I am excited that the League of American Bicyclists has renewed Santa Fe's designation as a Silver-level Bicycle Friendly Community," said District 2 Councilor and BPAC Chair Michael Garcia. "This designation demonstrates the City of Santa Fe’s strong commitment to creating a safe and robust cycling infrastructure for our community."
"Our renewal as a Silver-level Bicycle Friendly Community is good news—but not good enough. We have a long-standing commitment to a complete streets approach to mobility and transportation," said Mayor Alan Webber. "Bicyclists, pedestrians, all kinds of mobility are important for us to reach our sustainability and livability goals. We’re on the right path, but there’s more to be done."
More than 870 communities have applied for recognition by the Bicycle Friendly Community program. 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. 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.
To learn more about the BFC program, visit bikeleague.org/community.
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