FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 9, 2023
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 the Presidio of San Francisco, California a Bicycle-Friendly Community, following a detailed audit of the community’s efforts to provide safe accommodation and facilities for bicyclists and to encourage residents to bike for transportation and recreation. Through policy and design, the Presidio has focused on increasing opportunities for physical activity and is a model in America’s efforts to reduce obesity.

The Presidio 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.

According to an August 2002 employee transportation survey, a remarkable eight percent of employees bike to work in the Presidio. The Presidio YMCA provides youth bike programs for area youth that include safe cycling skills, bicycle maintenance, and a bike trip over the Golden Gate Bridge. All Presidio projects, including road construction and maintenance, are reviewed to ensure compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act. Any projects that may impact bicyclist and pedestrian safety are considered to have an “environmental effect” and must be mitigated accordingly by a panel of experts from various fields, including transportation.

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

David Takemoto-Weerts, Bicycle Program Coordinator for the University of California, Davis, will present the Bicycle-Friendly Community award on behalf of the League of American Bicyclists on Tuesday, June 17 at 11:00AM at Inspiration Point in the Presidio. Craig Middleton, the Executive Director of the Presidio Trust, (and/or) Toby Rosenblatt, the Presidio Trust's Board Chair, will accept the award. The Trust’s Board is meeting that day to consider approving the Presidio Bikeways and Trails Master Plan.