48 Businesses are awarded New or renewed Bike Friendly Status in Minnesota
48 COMPANIES AWARDED LEAGUE OF AMERICAN BICYCLISTS’ BICYCLE FRIENDLY BUSINESS STATUS
WASHINGTON, DC — Today, the League of American Bicyclists honored 48 new and renewing organizations for their work to make biking an easier option for more people. The businesses join a movement of 1,527 total Bicycle Friendly Businesses (BFBs) across all 50 states and Washington, D.C. and represent 47,922 employees and a dozen industry sectors, all part of the League’s mission to build a Bicycle Friendly America for everyone!
“Honoring our Bicycle Friendly Businesses shortly following World Car Free Day reminds us why the Bicycle Friendly America program, as well as our ‘Drive Less, Bike More’ challenge, has gotten so many people excited to participate: people want to work at, live in and visit places where getting to everyday destinations car-free is possible, and when they can, the business outcomes are not only better — life is better for everyone,” said Bill Nesper, executive director of the League of American Bicyclists. “BFBs are making car-free transportation trips more possible for more people and we are proud to honor their efforts.”
The Summer 2022 round of Bicycle Friendly Business awards includes 33 organizations new to the program, seven BFBs earning upgraded awards and eight renewing their previous award level, as well as five organizations earning Honorable Mentions. Of the five Platinum-level awards this round, Meta HQ, located in Menlo Park, California, and formally known as Facebook, Inc., renewed its Platinum status. Three other Bay Area Meta locations in Fremont, San Francisco and Sunnyvale earned Platinum status as first-time applicants, as did bike shop Wheel & Sprocket in Fitchburg, Wisconsin.
Platinum status is the current top honor for the BFB awards program. Out of 1,527 BFBs across the country, only 82 businesses have earned Platinum-level honors while 706 have earned Bronze-level BFB awards. What connects all BFBs is a commitment to better bicycling at their business; what sets them apart is their support for building a Bicycle Friendly Community (BFC) that allows for everyone to choose bikes as a means of transportation and recreation.
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“The more interspersed bicycling is in the culture of the company, the campuses, and the immediate neighborhoods, the more thought and patience people have when sharing the road as a driver or pedestrian,” said Nikolas Eristavi, Marketing and Creative Specialist for Meta HQ. “Moreover, Meta invests significantly into developing bike-friendly infrastructure and undergoing improvements to create roadways and passageways that allow for safe bike commuting on campus. Beyond our walls, we also work closely with Caltrans, government agencies, neighbors, and other businesses to build and foster bicycle-friendly roads.”
Many Bicycle Friendly Businesses are making it safer and easier for their staff and surrounding communities to forgo car trips and choose cycling by partnering with other businesses, local organizations, universities and their city to build safer streets for all and a stronger community.
This BFB round also showcases how biking fits into the work of a variety of community-based organizations centered on the needs of people who have been historically underserved or disproportionately affected by city planning decisions. In Fayetteville, Arkansas, first-time applicant and now Silver BFB, Rockin’ Baker, supports transportation equity by coordinating with the city to improve mobility to areas that are currently out of reach by public transit, presenting an employment barrier for people with disabilities.
Other community-based organizations awarded in this round include housing nonprofit CATCH in Boise, Idaho, which earned a Gold-level award as a first-time applicant, and new Bronze BFB Boys and Girls Club of Dane County in Madison, Wisconsin. Working with the Bicycle Friendly Business program and partnering with local bike advocates has helped these organizations incorporate making biking better as part of their larger missions.
The Summer 2022 round also saw an influx of new BFBs from the Bicycle Friendly Communities of Walker, Minnesota, Fayetteville, Arkansas, and the two neighboring Wisconsin towns of Madison and Fitchburg, all thanks to local pushes from community advocates and economic development agencies that recognize the power and value of having Bicycle Friendly Businesses in their community.
If your business would like to join the League’s growing movement to build a Bicycle Friendly America for everyone, submissions for the Fall 2022 round of the Bicycle Friendly Business program are due on November 3rd at 11:59 PM PT.
About the League Of American Bicyclists
Since 1880, the League of American Bicyclists has been people-powered, with a goal to make bicycling safer and easier as a means of transportation and recreation. Today, the League continues to improve lives and strengthen communities through bicycling. We are more than 200,0000 members and supporters strong with more than 1,000 state and local advocacy groups and bike clubs as well as thousands of businesses, universities, and communities together leading the movement to create a Bicycle Friendly America for everyone.
About the Bicycle Friendly Business Program
Bicycle Friendly Business awards reflect local leaders’ ongoing work to build better places to bike and evaluate those efforts as part of a national movement. Each of the five levels of the Bicycle Friendly Business award – diamond, platinum, gold, silver, and bronze, plus an honorable mention category – provide a clear path for businesses to continuously improve. Visit bikeleague.org/business to learn more about the BFB program.
