Tucson Honored with League's Bicycle-Friendly Community Award to Celebrate National Bike Month TM

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 12, 2004

Contact: Patrick J. McCormick

Communications Director

League of American Bicyclists

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

Email: [email protected]

Washington, DC—The League of American Bicyclists has kicked off National Bike Month TM by honoring Tucson, Arizona and ten other communities with its prestigious Bicycle Friendly Community designation. Tucson has earned the silver-level of the Bicycle Friendly Community (BFC) award. Mayor Bob Walkup will receive the League's award at 9:00 AM on Thursday, May 20 at the mouth of the Diamondback Bridge (on Broadway Blvd. just west of Euclid Avenue) in a ceremony presided over by Tucson's Director of Transportation, Jim Glock. The chair of the Tucson-Pima County Bicycle Advisory Committee, Jess Morales, will also speak.

Tucson is one of 38 communities that 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, as well as the results of the League's recent International BFC Symposium.

Andy Clarke, Executive Director of the League of American Bicyclists, congratulated Tucson and the other award winners, saying, "What better way to start National Bike Month TM (www.bikemonth.com ) than celebrating cities such as Tucson that show what's possible? Given the choice, people will and do ride their bikes. Bicycle Friendly Communities are special places, with a heightened sense of community spirit and an uncommon devotion to improving their quality of life. With political commitment, focused investment in infrastructure and policies, and broad community involvement, cities and towns can become better places not only to bicycle but also to live. The rewards for residents are huge: 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 Tucson's most notable qualifications for the BFC award are the policy of the Mayor and City Council to include bike lanes on all new street construction, as well as on all reconstruction projects. The City is currently re-striping 20 linear miles of streets to add bike lanes that will fill gaps.

The City of Tucson and Pima County are working together as equal partners in a new Safe Routes to Schools Program to offer facility and educational improvements to elementary and secondary schools in the Tucson Region.  The City of Tucson and Pima County have also worked together to create “Share the Road” guides for bicyclists and motorists that have been distributed to the police, schools, libraries, bike shops, council offices and private businesses throughout the Tucson region.

Tucson celebrates and promotes Bike Month in March with a ten-day celebration called the Clean Air Fiesta, which offers 32 separate events, attended by 3,000 people. Several thousand people write in, pledging to use alternative modes of transportation, such as bicycling.

Boulder, Colorado was granted the League's gold-level BFC award. Silver-level award winners include Gainesville, Florida; Olympia, Washington; as well as Tucson. Bronze level distinctions were awarded to Ashland, Oregon; Auburn, Alabama; Carrboro, North Carolina; Longmont, Colorado; Mountain View, California; Portage, Michigan; and Rockville, Maryland. An Honorary Mention was given to Milpitas, California. The League has yet to bestow its highest-level platinum award to any communities.

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).

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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 . May is National Bike Month TM ; visit www.bikemonth.com for safe cycling tips, promotional ideas, and events in your area.