Washington, DC, Named Bicycle-Friendly City

(Washington, DC) The League of American Bicyclists today named Washington, DC, a Bicycle-Friendly Community. DC Mayor Anthony A. Williams accepted the award at the International Symposium on Bicycle-Friendly Communities at the World Bank, where he addressed an international audience which included mayors from other bicycle-friendly cities.  

"Bicycling helps our community in many ways—it helps the environment by getting drivers out of cars, and it makes the city attractive to potential residents by encouraging the creation of multi-use trails and paths," said Mayor Williams. "It's even an advocacy tool, as we learned last year when we organized a 50-state bike ride to all state-named streets in the District, pointing out that the District has neither a street named for it nor voting rights."

The League's award is presented to communities with remarkable commitments to bicycling. According to Andy Clarke, Director of the Bicycle-Friendly Community program at the League of American Bicyclists, "We were particularly impressed with the District of Columbia for the higher than average levels of bicycle use and recent improvements such as bike lane striping, bus and Metrorail access, the annual Bike DC ride and Bike to Work Day, and improved bicycle parking downtown. We were also happy to see the re-established bicycle advisory committee, funding for staff positions, and the development a long range bicycle plan."

According to Dan Tangherlini, Director of the District Department of Transportation, "This award proves that our hard work for bicyclists is beginning to pay off. But we're really just getting started."

The 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. League staff and reviewers consider several factors before granting a community BFC status, including: