Brunswick Honored with Bicycle-Friendly Community Award

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 16, 2004

Contact: Patrick J. McCormick

Communications Director

League of American Bicyclists

Phone: 202-822-1333; Fax: 202-822-1334

Email: [email protected]

Jeffrey Miller, Executive Director of the Bicycle Coalition of Maine, will present the League of American Bicyclists' ( www.bikeleague.org ) prestigious Bicycle Friendly Community award to Brunswick, Maine at the City Council meeting on September 20 at 7:30 pm. The meeting will be held in the Municipal Meeting Facility at 44 McKeen Street. Brunswick has earned the bronze-level of the Bicycle Friendly Community (BFC) awards .

Brunswick is the first community in Maine and one of just 38 communities in the nation to have been granted the BFC designation to recognize their commitment to providing safe accommodation and facilities for bicyclists, and for their efforts to encourage bicycling for fun, fitness and transportation. Visit www.bicyclefriendlycommunity.org to learn more about the awards process and view the recently published highlights on the award-winning communities.

Andy Clarke, Executive Director of the League of American Bicyclists said, "Brunswick is a great example of how people and government can work together to make their cities and towns better places to bike and to live. Given the choice, people will and do ride their bikes. The quality of life really is better in Bicycle Friendly Communities, because their residents enjoy greater opportunities to lead active lifestyles; improved air quality, and increased travel choices."

League staff and reviewers consider several factors before granting a community BFC status, including:

• The physical environment for bicycling -- on-street facilities, trails, parking, etc.
• Education programs to promote a "share the road" ethic among bicyclists and drivers
• Promotional initiatives to persuade people to ride or ride more often
• Enforcement of traffic laws for both motorists and bicyclists
• Future plans and evaluation techniques to improve conditions further

Among the leading factors the League's staff and reviewers cited in their decision to honor Brunswick were the magnificent Androscoggin River Trail (also known as the Brunswick Bike Trail), the provision of bike lanes or paved shoulders on 53% of arterial streets, the presence of an active Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, and criteria for review of new development that require bicycle accommodation.

Please see below for the full list of the League of American Bicyclists' ( www.bikeleague.org ) Bicycle Friendly Community award winners. 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 livable. The Campaign works in the most effective way possible-town by town, city by city-to encourage bicycling and achieve a bicycle-friendly America. The Campaign is supported by generous grants from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation ( www.rwjf.org ) and 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. The League represents the interests of America's 50 million bicyclists, including its 300,000 members and affiliates. For more information or to support the League, visit www.bikeleague.org and www.bicyclefriendlycommunity.org .