Alameda was named a Silver-level Bicycle Friendly Community by the League of American Bicyclists Recognition for miles of new protected bikeways and safety education.

On Wednesday, Dec. 8, the League of American Bicyclists honored the efforts of the City of Alameda to build better places for people to bike with a silver-level Bicycle Friendly Community (BFC) award. Nearly 500 communities across the country have been recognized for working for safer streets and better bicycling for everyone, and Alameda joins 149 cities who have received silver or higher recognition. The award recognizes Alameda for its commitment to creating transportation and recreational resources that benefit residents of all ages and abilities while encouraging healthier and more sustainable transportation choices. Alameda has now advanced to the silver level from the bronze-level award, first given to the city in 2012 and renewed in 2016.

“I’m thrilled that the League recognized the incredible work Alameda has done with our community partners over the last decade to make Alameda a safer and more inviting place to bicycle,” said Alameda Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft. “As we look forward at our Vision Zero Action Plan, planned complete streets projects on Clement and Central Avenues, and the future Bicycle/Pedestrian Bridge over the Estuary, Alameda is well on its way to achieving the gold-level award.”

The League of American Bicyclists’ Bicycle Friendly America program sets the standard for how communities build and benchmark progress toward making biking better. The Silver BFC award recognizes Alameda’s commitment to improving conditions for all people who bike through investments in bike education programs, regular bike events that promote and encourage people to choose biking, pro-bike policies, and bike infrastructure.

“Bike Walk Alameda is so excited that our city has been recognized for a silver designation from the League! It’s gratifying to see the work that’s been done on the ground being recognized nationally, such as the opening of the western section of the Cross Alameda Trail, the Shoreline cycletrack, and additional bike parking in our business districts. In addition to these completed projects, we’re looking forward to many more improvements over the next few years,” said Denyse Trepanier, President of Bike Walk Alameda. “There are few places on earth as blessed as Alameda with “everything” needed to become a world-class bicycling city. We have near perfect weather for biking all year-round. We’re flat as a pancake. We have an almost universal 25 MPH speed limit and we don’t have to contend with any highways running through town. Bike Walk Alameda is grateful that City staff and City Council recognize this potential and is making it a reality.”

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 continuously improve. Awarded communities like Alameda must renew their status every four years to ensure we maintain existing efforts and keep up with changing technology, national safety standards, and community-driven best practices.

To learn more about the many bicycle projects and programs in Alameda, visit: www.alamedaca.gov/transportation. To participate in making Alameda an even better place to bicycle, subscribe to email lists for specific projects here: www.alamedaca.gov/Subscribe.

The League was founded as the League of American Wheelmen in 1880. Bicyclists, known then as “wheelmen,” were challenged by rutted roads of gravel and dirt and faced antagonism from horsemen, wagon drivers, and pedestrians.

In an effort to improve riding conditions so they might better enjoy their newly discovered sport, more than 100,000 cyclists from across the United States joined the League to advocate for paved roads.

The league’s goal is to lead the movement to create a Bicycle Friendly America for everyone. As leaders. Their 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 learn more about the BFC program, visit bikeleague.org/community.