Dallas set a new benchmark for bicycling before the adoption of the Dallas Bike Plan Update.
DALLAS — The League of American Bicyclists has honored the city of Dallas this week with a Bronze-level Bicycle Friendly Community (BFC) award.
The award recognizes Dallas for its “commitment to creating transportation and recreational resources that benefit residents of All Ages and Abilities while encouraging healthier and more sustainable transportation choices,” according to a city press release.
The award process considers bicycle infrastructure, adult and youth bicycle education, encouragement through events like Bike to Work Day, evaluation mechanisms, and enforcement all through the lens of equity. The application process included an opportunity for local bicyclists and advocates to provide input on their experiences and perceptions of bicycling in their community, city officials said.
“We’re so thrilled that Dallas has applied and been awarded its first BFC designation! Advocates and city officials alike will now have a more thorough picture of steps to improve,” Rebekah Kornblum, President of the Dallas Bicycle Coalition (DBC), said. “Through this process, we celebrated the efforts of many bicycle advocates and organizations such as DBC’s bike valet service, Bike Friendly South Dallas’s Earn-A-Bike program, Happy Riders’ bike giveaways for children, iBike Rosemont’s Bike to School week, and much more. DBC believes that Dallas can become a safe, popular, and convenient place to ride a bike, and we’re grateful the progress and award.”
The League of American Bicyclists’ Bicycle Friendly America program sets the standard for how communities benchmark their progress. This round of awards includes 91 new and renewing awardees, joining a total of 460 current BFC’s. The five levels of the BFC award – diamond, platinum, gold, silver, and bronze, plus an honorable mention category – provide a clear target for communities to continuously improve. Cities can renew their status every four years to track existing efforts, and keep up with changing technology, safety standards, and best practices.
The Bronze BFC award recognizes the commitment from the city of Dallas and bicycling advocate groups to improve conditions for all people who bicycle through investments in bicycling infrastructure, bicycle education programs, regular bicycling events that promote and encourage people to choose bicycling, and pro-bicycling policies, officials said in a release.
“We are honored to receive this designation from the League of American Bicyclists that recognizes the achievements we have made in our efforts to make the city accessible by bicycle. We look forward to the upcoming adoption of the Dallas Bike Plan which will provide us with a roadmap to policy and bicycle network recommendations so that we may continue our efforts to create a more bicycle friendly city for bicyclists of All Ages and Abilities” said Ghassan Khankarli, Director of the City of Dallas Department of Transportation and Public Works.
To learn more about the BFC program, click here.
