Tips for (Current & Aspiring) Bicycle Friendly Communities

New Brunswick, a Bronze-level Bicycle Friendly Community, is proud to be a BFC!

Tips for (Current & Aspiring) Bicycle Friendly Communities while the BFC Application is offline

Earlier this year, the League announced that the Bicycle Friendly Community (BFC) application would be offline from September 2021 to 2022, to allow our Bicycle Friendly America team to take some dedicated time to update the BFC application and resources for applicant to better reflect the updated '5E' Framework that officially includes Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.

We understand that most Bicycle Friendly Communities typically spend months working on their BFC application, and that many communities use the BFC application itself as a guide and source of ideas for improvements before they even apply.

So while the BFC submission form is offline for the coming months, here are some suggestions for current and aspiring Bicycle Friendly Communities on specific actions you can take now to strengthen your next BFC application and improve your standing in the BFC program.

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Checklist for Current & Aspiring Bicycle Friendly Communities

1. Adopt the BFC Action Plan Charter

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Download the BFC Action Plan Charter here. (.doc)

2. Review BFC Resources, FAQs, and information online.

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Review BFC Resources for ideas and inspiration, and familiarize yourself with the BFC application process and general award criteria.

If you have questions, review the BFC FAQs page or contact us at bfa@bikeleague.org.

3. Form a Bicycle Advisory Committee (BAC) or Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC)

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Find these helpful resources for forming Bicycle Advisory Committee (BAC) or Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC)

4. Conduct a Bike Parking Inventory or Audit in your community.

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The most useful bike parking inventories should include the quantity, quality and type of bike parking, and you can also use this opportunity to audit the usage of bike parking in your community and to identify places that need new bike parking - where bicyclists are locking their bikes to trees, sign posts, or fences.

For more tips on improving your community's bike parking, watch our recent Webinar co-hosted with Dero.

5. Encourage local employers to apply for the Bicycle Friendly Business designation -- and have the city/town set a good example by applying for BFB status as an employer!

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Encourage other local employers and businesses to also apply for the Bicycle Friendly Business designatio to help foster a more positive biking culture in your community and to build up programs and services to support bike commuters.

Communities can apply for the BFB designation as an employer -- apply for City Hall or any other local municipal building, campus, or department. Pro-tip: Encourage your state DOT, County, and neighboring jurisdictions to do the same for their municipal buildings!

The next BFB submission deadline is March 2, 2022. Download this printer-friendly BFB Overview PDF document to help promote the BFB program in your community.

Learn more at bikeleague.org/business.

6. Host a League Cycling Instructor (LCI) seminar or sponsor one or more local residents, bike advocates, and/or city employees to attend an existing LCI seminar elsewhere.

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Host an LCI seminar or sponsor one or more local residents, bike advocates, and/or city employees to attend an existing LCI seminar elsewhere.

Find out if your community or neighboring areas already have any local LCIs: https://bikeleague.org/bfa/search/map?bfaq=

7. Create or improve the inventory your community’s bike infrastructure including on-road bike lanes, cycle tracks, neighborhood greenways, and off-road paths and trails.

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If you don’t have a GIS or engineering data staff in your planning or engineering department, work with a GIS student or class at a nearby college or university.

8. Conduct a bike count to start to benchmark and measure ridership in your community.

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Use resources like the National Bicycle and Pedestrian Documentation Project, Eco-Counter, Strava Metro, and the Transportation Research and Education Center.

See the Evaluation & Planning section of the BFC Resources page for more bike count resources and recent webinar recordings.

9. Send someone to attend the 2022 National Bike Summit (virtually or in-person!)

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The 23rd Annual National Bike Summit will take place Sunday, March 27 - Wednesday, March 30, 2022, both online and in person in Washington, D.C.

At the 2022 National Bike Summit, attendees will convene around the theme of Choosing Our Future. Learn more or register for the Summit here.

10. Organize a local bicycling event or series of events such as:

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Open Streets Event
Traffic Garden or Bicycling Rodeo for kids and families
Bike to School Day
Bike to Work Day
Winter Bike to Work Day
Car-Free Day
Ride with the Mayor
Family ride
Costume ride or Holiday ride

You don't have to stop there...

Check out the BFC Resources page for more ideas and inspiration!
Sign up to be more directly involved in BFC Equity update process in Spring 2022.
If you have questions about the BFC program, review the BFC FAQs page or contact us at bfa@bikeleague.org.
Sign up to be notified when the BFC application reopens for submissions and to receive other BFC-related updates.
Find the latest BFC news and updates at bikeleague.org/community.

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