Lewes bikes to work under sunny skies

Citizens of Lewes joined Mayor Ted Becker to celebrate National Bike to Work Day May 20.

The League of American Bicyclists has recognized Lewes with its Bronze Level Bicycle Friendly Community award for the second time, joining 372 visionary communities from across the country.

With the announcement of 34 new and renewing BFCs in May, National Bicycle Month, Lewes joins a leading group of communities, in all 50 states that are transforming their neighborhoods.

“We applaud these communities for making bicycling a safe and convenient option for transportation and recreation,” said Bill Nesper, vice president of programs at the League of American Bicyclists. “We are encouraged by the growing number of leaders who see bicycling as a way to build more vibrant, healthy, sustainable and connected communities and be a part of the solution to many complex challenges faced at both the community and national levels. We look forward to continuing to work with these communities as we move closer to our mission of creating a Bicycle Friendly America for everyone.”

The BFC program is revolutionizing the way communities evaluate their quality of life, sustainability and transportation networks, while allowing them to benchmark their progress toward improving their bicycle-friendliness. With this impressive round, there are now 372 BFCs in all 50 states. The Bronze Level BFC award recognizes a community’s commitment to improving conditions for bicycling through investment in bicycling promotion, education programs, infrastructure and pro-bicycling policies.

Mayor Ted Becker credited the efforts of the Lewes Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee. “We supported the committee’s efforts some six years ago when the league give Lewes an honorable mention award. But the committee worked hard to create better bicycle infrastructure and set events targeting cycling to work and building cycling skills for youngsters at Lewes Night Out. I know that this committee wants to move to a higher level and the city will continue to support their efforts.”

The BFC program provides a roadmap to building a Bicycle Friendly Community and the application itself has become a rigorous and an educational tool in itself. Since its inception, more than 1200 distinct communities have applied and the five levels of the award - diamond, platinum, gold, silver and bronze – provide a clear incentive for communities to continuously improve.

The League of American Bicyclists is leading the movement to create a Bicycle Friendly America for everyone. iIs  commitment is to listen and learn, define standards and share best practices to engage diverse communities and build a powerful, unified voice for change.

To apply or learn more about the BFC program, go to bikeleague.org/community.