Cary 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.

Cary is implementing land use plans that will concentrate new growth into pedestrian and cyclist-oriented activity centers. To safely accommodate cyclists, Cary requires all new or reconstructed thoroughfares to be designed with 14-foot-wide outside lanes, and is re-striping existing roads to provide a 13-foot outside lane and an 11-foot inside lane.
The annual Cary Cycles Celebration is an educational and recreational event for both adults and children, featuring rides, competitions and demonstrations, equipment displays and maintenance workshops. Cary’s Bicycle Route Map and Guide, a valuable resource for local cyclists, will be printed in June.

The League of American Bicyclists considered several factors in evaluating Cary 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 Cary with the Bicycle-Friendly Community designation. Thanks to its long-term commitment to better bicycling, people in Cary 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.

A representative of the League will officially present the award at an upcoming city council meeting.

Cary 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.