Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Raleigh Gains Bicycle Friendly Designation

This just in....Congrats!

The view from the outdoor seating at the Raleigh Times,
 a favorite gathering spot for cyclists...

Raleigh’s reputation as a cycling city is “spiraling.” The League of American Bicyclists included Raleigh in its latest round of Bicycle Friendly Communities as part of the observance of May as National Bike Month.

The Capital City was among the 21 U.S. municipalities that gained Bicycle Friendly Community status. To date, the League of American Bicyclists has received 425 applications and designated 179 Bicycle Friendly Communities in 44 states. This was the first year that Raleigh had applied for the award.

Raleigh received Bronze Level recognition. Wilmington was the only other North Carolina city to also earn this designation in this round. Durham, Charlotte and Cary were previously named to the League of American Bicyclists’ Bicycle Friendly Community roster.

Official Status

The City of Raleigh recently elevated the importance of bicycling as a healthy and environmentally friendly means of transportation. On Oct. 5, the Raleigh City Council approved $1.35 million in bicycle and pedestrian improvement projects over the next two years. The improvements had been recommended by the newly created City of Raleigh Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Commission.

The 22 planned bicycle and pedestrian improvements are scattered throughout Raleigh. They include three miles of new sidewalks and more than 30 miles of on-street bicycle facility striping. Funding is to come from the City’s Capital Improvement Program and from federal grant funding administered by the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization.

The BPAC was created to advise the City Council on matters related to bicycle and pedestrian activities and accommodations within Raleigh, including facility design, policies, programming, safety and outreach.

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1 comment:

bullcitybiker said...

Chapeau, Raleigh and Mike D- that was fast! Nicely done