Bicycle Friendly Communities

Sitka, AK | Bronze Level

Community Highlights : Sitka joins the ranks of Bicycle Friendly Communities as the northernmost designated community and the only in Alaska. Nearly half of Sitka’s roads provide accomodations for cyclists such as bike lanes and bicycle ridership is nine times the national average. At the 2007 Sitka Health Summit, participants (a large and diverse group of Sitkans) were asked to pick the top four areas to focus on that would make the greatest impact to the wellness of Sitkans. The top choice, to great applause, was to make Sitka a bicycle and pedestrian friendly community. The initiative was propelled from that moment and gained incredible momentum.

The commitment has been clearly demonstrated in the recent proclamation signed in March of 2008 by Mayor Marko Dapcevich to work to become a Bicycle Friendly Community.

Most Significant Recent Accomplishment: The city has engaged in a systematic Bicycle Level of Service study.