Norfolk Recognized as a Bicycle Friendly Community by the League of American Bicyclists

NORFOLK, Va. - The City of Norfolk has been named a Bronze-level Bicycle Friendly Community (BFC) by the League of American Bicyclists, honoring the City's efforts to build better places for people to bike. Norfolk joins 480 communities nationwide for safer streets and better bicycling for everyone.

The award recognizes Norfolk's commitment to improving conditions for all people who bike through investments in bike education programs. These regular bike events promote and encourage people to choose biking, pro-bike policies, and bike infrastructure.

The League of American Bicyclists' Bicycle Friendly America program sets the standard for how communities build and benchmark progress toward making biking better.

While the award process considers 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, all through equity. The rigorous application process includes an opportunity for local bicyclists and active transportation advocates to provide input on their community experiences and perceptions of bicycling.

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 improve continuously. 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.