Ferguson and Clayton named as newest Bicycle Friendly Communities in Missouri

Two Missouri cities were added to the rolls of nationally recognized Bicycle Friendly Communities in the latest round of announcements in the League of American Bicyclist's Bicycle Friendly America program. 

Ferguson Bike Ed Class, courtesy League of American Bicyclists.

That brings the total number of Missouri communities recognized as BFCs to seven, and the total number of communities, businesses, and university in Missouri recognized to 30 and the total number of Missourians living in a recognized Bicycle Friendly Community to 1,262,000.

Ferguson was recognized in both the Streetsblog.net and the League of American Bicyclists stories about the new BFC round.  The League of American Bicyclists wrote:

Ferguson, Mo., a suburb of St. Louis, (pictured at right) has led the way with its education and encouragement policies, including an Earn-a-Bike program that's free to local youth.

"Ferguson's residents and businesses, with the help of regional organizations, have been working to update our practices and policies to be more bicycle- and pedestrian-friendly," said Dwayne T. James, Ferguson City Council member.  "Receiving this Bronze Award shows that we're on the right path to doing what is right and what is best for our residents and the region as a whole. I'm thankful for this honor as well as look forward to continuing our efforts to be an even better Bicycle Friendly Community." 

We welcome Ferguson and Clayton on board the Bicycle Friendly Community bandwagon--and we'd like to see many more Missouri communities join up!

It is great to see more Missouri cities join the ranks of Bicycle Friendly Communities.  Those of us who live in Bicycle Friendly Communities realize that BFC status is no guarantee that everything in the city is perfect for bicycling in every way.  But BFC status certainly does recognize communities that are actively working to improve the situation and that have implemented at least some important elements that help make a community a great place to bike.

It is especially encouraging to see smaller Missouri cities and suburbs applying for BFC status.  Previous Missouri BFCs have been our larger cities--Kansas City, St. Louis, Springfield, Columbia, and Lee's Summit. 

Bicycle Friendly Community logo

Many Missouri cities about the size of Ferguson or Clayton--15,000-20,000--would make excellent candidates for Bicycle Friendly Community status.

If you would like to see your community become friendlier for bicycling, getting the city on track to apply for Bicycle Friendly Community Status is one of the easiest and most comprehensive ways to get things started and keep them on track.

Where the Bicycle Friendly Missouri Campaign stands today 

Total number of recognized bicycle friendly communities, universities and businesses in Missouri:

• 2008: 0
• 2009: 3
• 2010: 17
• 2011: 26
• 2012: 27
• 2013: 30

Total Missouri population living in a Bicycle Friendly Community:

• 2008: 0
• 2009: 428,000
• 2010: 652,000
• 2011: 1,133,000
• 2012: 1,225,000
• 2013: 1,262,000

One of the major objectives of MoBikeFed's Vision for Bicycling and Walking in Missouri is to encourage more Missouri communities, businesses, and universities to participate in the Bicycle Friendly America program.  Find out more about the program in Missouri, including sample application materials, on our Bicycle Friendly Missouri page.

The complete list of Bicycle Friendly Communities in America is on the League of American Bicyclists Bicycle Friendly America web site.