FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 7, 2022
Contact: Patrick J. McCormick
Communication Director
Phone: 202-822-1333; Fax: 202-822-1334
Email: [email protected]

(WASHINGTON, DC)—The League of American Bicyclists has named Missoula, Montana 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, Missoula has focused on increasing opportunities for physical activity and is a model in America’s efforts to reduce obesity.

Missoula received the silver award, the third highest level of the League’s four-tiered Bicycle-Friendly Community national awards program. Just two cities, Palo Alto, CA and Corvallis, OR received the gold award; Missoula was one of just six cities to receive the silver award. The League honored a total of fourteen communities around the United States with the Bicycle-Friendly Community award, but did not bestow the highest-level platinum award to any communities.

Missoula has a long history of deep and abiding commitment to bicycling, one that sets the standard for communities in the region. Particularly impressive aspects of Missoula’s efforts include:

• Over 50% of arterial streets have bike lanes and over 70% have lanes or wide shoulders either in place or planned for in future improvements
• The Annual Bike Walk Bus week which had 86 activities last year with 14,900 participants
• The production and distribution of an excellent Bike to Work Guide
• A comprehensive travel behavior survey which indicated 5% of commute trips are on bikes
• The Missoula in Motion consortium created to promote alternative transportation and their Way to Go club where members pledge to get to not drive alone to work at least one day a week. 1333 individuals participate and have logged 654,000 miles so far.

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

Bill Sawyer, Executive Director of Adventure Cycling will present the award on behalf of the League at the July 14, city council meeting scheduled for 7pm at City Hall, 435 Ryman Street. The Mayor of Missoula, the Honorable Mike Kadas, will receive the award on behalf of the city.