The League of American Bicyclists recently announced 42 new and renewing Bicycle Friendly Communities (BFC).  New Bronze level awardees included three from the Northeastern Illinois region: Glenview, Oak Park, and Warrenville. Along with the City of Chicago that renewed its Silver level status, they join 350 BFCs in all 50 states, representing 69 million people. Other BFCs in our region incljude Evanston (Silver) and Batavia, Elmhurst, Naperville, and Schaumburg (Bronze).

The BFC program encourages communities to improve conditions for bicycling and provides a roadmap and guidance for doing so.  The program ranks cities that provide safe cycling accommodations and encourage bicycling for both transportation and recreation. The program recognizes communities that include bicycling as a means of improving public health, reducing traffic congestion, improving air quality, and improving residents' overall quality of life.