Montrose, CO — The League of American Bicyclists announced this week it has designated Montrose as a bronze-level Bicycle Friendly Community (BFC), highlighting the city’s efforts to build better places for people to bike.
Montrose joins 482 communities across the country in the movement for safer streets and better bicycling for everyone. The award recognizes Montrose 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.
“Across the country, we have seen so many Americans biking during the pandemic. It’s critical that there are communities like Montrose taking the steps to make biking a safe, accessible option for people, whether they are commuting to essential jobs or looking for recreational options outside their homes,” said Bill Nesper, executive director of the League of American Bicyclists. “This award is the culmination of years of work put in by Montrose and its citizen advocates for better biking."
The League of American Bicyclists’ Bicycle Friendly America program sets the standard for how communities build and benchmark progress toward making biking better. This round of awards, which communities applied for in February 2020, includes 38 new and renewing awardees, joining a total of 482 Bicycle Friendly Communities in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The bronze-level BFC award recognizes Montrose’s commitment to improving conditions for all people who bike through investments in bike education programs, regular bike events that promote and encourage people to choose biking, pro-bike policies, and bike infrastructure.
“The City of Montrose has worked hard to implement many bicycle-friendly upgrades to our streets and trails," Mayor Barbara Bynum said. "I am excited that our work is being recognized by The League of American Bicyclists. I love riding through town on my bicycle and it’s great to see so many people out riding around Montrose and enjoying our community."
Bicyclists of all ages and skill levels enjoy a wide variety of terrain both within and outside the Montrose city limits. (William Woody, City of Montrose)
Bynum highlighted the city’s 30 miles of concrete trails maintained by the Park’s Department, the recently completed Connect Trail connecting the northern and southern ends with only two roadway crossings, over 30 miles of single-track mountain biking trails, and mountain biking trails on Sunset Mesa that complement a healthy bicycling infrastructure within the city limits.
More than 850 communities have applied for recognition by the Bicycle Friendly Community program, which provides a roadmap to making biking better for communities of all shapes and sizes. While the award process considers very visible elements such as bike infrastructure, other essential elements include efforts around adult and youth bike education, encouragement through events like Bike to Work Day, evaluation mechanisms, and enforcement. The rigorous application process is an educational tool in itself and includes an opportunity for local bicyclists and active transportation advocates to provide input on their experiences and perceptions of bicycling in their community.
The five levels of the BFC award – diamond, platinum, gold, silver, and bronze, plus an honorable mention category – provide a clear incentive for communities to continuously improve. Awarded communities must renew their status every four years to ensure that they not only maintain existing efforts, but also keep up with changing technology, national safety standards, and community-driven best practices.
To learn more about the BFC program, visit bikeleague.org/community.
(About the League of American Bicyclists)
The League of American Bicyclists leads the national movement to create a Bicycle Friendly America for everyone. With a history dating to 1880, the League is committed to engaging diverse communities and building a powerful, unified voice for change around protecting and promoting bicyclists’ rights. Learn more at www.bikeleague.org.
Click here for an interactive bike route map of Montrose’s trail system.
For more city news visit: CityofMontrose.org.