(WASHINGTON, DC)-The League of American Bicyclists has named Beaverton, Oregon a Bicycle-Friendly Community, following a detailed audit of the city's efforts to provide safe accommodation and facilities for bicyclists and to encourage residents to bike for transportation and recreation. Through policy and design, Beaverton has focused on increasing opportunities for physical activity and is a model in America's efforts to reduce obesity.

Beaverton was one of just six communities in the United States to receive the bronze award, the fourth highest level of the League's Bicycle-Friendly Community national awards program. The League honored a total of fourteen communities with the Bicycle-Friendly Community award, but did not bestow the highest-level platinum award to any communities. Just two cities, Palo Alto, CA and Corvallis, OR received the second highest gold award; six were granted the silver level prize.

To encourage bicycling and walking to school, a critical tool in efforts to promote physical fitness among children in the area, the Beaverton school district has a "safe routes to school" plan for each of its 45 schools. The schools each distribute a route map with school orientation materials at the beginning of each school year. The maps provide routes indicating distances from school, speeds limits for streets, marked crossings, and measurements of average daily traffic. Beaverton funded the training of police officers in the Police Mountain Bicycle Operations Course, a weeklong training program. Beaverton also has ambitious plans to better integrate its street and trail systems for bicyclists by creating new facilities and improve existing ones.

The League of American Bicyclists considered several factors in evaluating Beaverton and other communities that applied for Bicycle-Friendly Community status. Reviewers examined the traffic engineering facilities and policies and bicycling promotion efforts of the communities. The cities' enforcement of traffic laws on motorists and cyclists, their efforts to educate both groups on traffic safety, and their processes to plan for and evaluate policies and facilities for cycling also were considered.

Elissa Margolin, Executive Director of the League, said, "The League is delighted to honor Beaverton with the Bicycle-Friendly Community designation. Thanks to its long-term commitment to better bicycling, people in Beaverton benefit every day from reduced traffic, better air quality, and improved public health. These benefits translate to increased quality of life, higher property values, and heightened community spirit."

The League's Bicycle Friendly Community Campaign is a national grassroots effort to increase the number of trips made by bike, promote physical fitness, and help make communities more liveable. The Campaign works in the most effective way possible-town by town, city by city-to encourage bicycling and achieve a bicycle-friendly America.

Jay Graves, owner of the Bike Gallery bike shops, will present the award on behalf of the League at the June 2nd meeting of the Beaverton City Council. The meeting will take place at Beaverton City Hall, 4755 Griffith Drive, at 6:30 pm.

Beaverton is among the first communities in the nation that applied to receive the Bicycle-Friendly Communities designation under the League's program, launched in September 2002. Communities wishing to be considered for the award should visit www.bicyclefriendlycommunity.org to view the application and learn more about the program. The Campaign is supported by grants from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (www.rwjf.org) and the Bikes Belong Coalition (www.bikesbelong.org).



The League of American Bicyclists promotes bicycling for fun, fitness and transportation, and works through advocacy and education for a bicycle-friendly America on behalf of its 300,000 members and affiliates. For more information or to support the League, visit www.bikeleague.org and www.bicyclefriendlycommunity.org.