The national League of American Bicyclists announced the latest round of Bicycle Friendly Communities today. We are proud to say that both Batavia and Elmhurst are now Bronze level Bicycle Friendly Communities! Additionally, Naperville renewed their Bronze level Bicycle Friendly Community designation.

“One of the great challenges in envisioning a truly bicycle-friendly America is the need to transform suburban communities,” League of American Bicyclists president Andy Clarke said. “Well, that transformation is evidently underway and is being lead by communities like Menlo Park, Calif.; Elmhurst, Ill.; Reston, Va.; and Richfield, Minn.”

Illinois is now home to a total of eight Bicycle Friendly Communities. Chicago and Evanston both have earned “Silver” designations. In addition to Batavia, Champaign, Elmhurst and Naperville,  Schaumburg and Urbana have also each earned “Bronze” designations from the League of American Bicyclists.

“We applaud Elmhurst,” LIB executive director Ed Barsotti said. “They could have been content with the major regional trail going through their suburb.  Instead, they took a holistic approach to becoming bike-friendly through education, encouragement, and expansion of the bike network.”

LIB has been active in both of Illinois’ newest Bicycle Friendly Communities.  In Batavia, LIB developed the town’s bike plan and has since assisted its bicycle advisory committee.  In Elmhurst,  LIB board member Bob Hoel has headed the bicycle committee and other efforts for several years.

LAB offers other awards, as well.  The University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana has earned a Bicycle Friendly University designation. And, there are a total of 14 Illinois businesses designated as Bicycle Friendly Businesses, employing a total of 1,125 people.

In May, the League of American Bicyclists released its Bicycle Friendly State rankings, when Illinois cracked the top ten by moving up to ninth place.

The Bicycle Friendly America program provides incentives, hands-on assistance, and award recognition for communities, universities and businesses that actively support bicycling, and ranks states annually based on their level of bike-friendliness. More information on the Bicycle Friendly America program is available on the League of American Bicyclists website.