Bike League visits Missouri towns to promote Bicycle Friendly Communities program

The League of American Bicyclists conducted site visits to Columbia and Jefferson City last week as part of its Bicycle Friendly Communities (BFC) program. A similar visit to Springfield is planned for later this week. Trek Bicycles sponsored the site visits in an effort to promote bicycling all over the nation. Columbia is a Silver Level BFC, aiming for Gold. Jefferson City hopes to achieve BFC designation soon. And Springfield is Bronze, aiming for Silver.

The League of American Bicyclists visited three Missouri communities, helping them with their work to improve their rankings in the Bicycle Friendly Community program

League staff Steve Clark starts each site visit with a bike ride around the city with City staff and bicyclists from the community. In Columbia, he was interested in the experimental Bicycle Boulevards that contain "advisory" bike lanes down the center of the road, and a protected intersection for people walking and biking that connects two off-set streets in the middle of a busy road.

In Jefferson City, he noted that the lower than average bicycle mode share means that any treatments can have a big impact. Carrie Tergin, the mayor, was enthusiastic about making Jefferson City a better place to bicycle.

David Hutchison, Pedestrian and Bicycle Engineer with the City of Springfield, is looking forward to the League's visit Thursday:

We are excited at the interest from a wide cross-section of our community to attend our Bicycle Friendly Springfield workshop on Thursday, November 19, with guest Stephen Clark of the League of American Bicyclists.  We expect the event to forge new relationships that will improve the effectiveness of Springfield’s programs related to being a bicycle friendly community.

The Bicycle Friendly Communities program in Missouri is growing by leaps and bounds.  As recently as 2008, we had no recognized bicycle friendly communities, universities, or businesses in Missouri.  Now we have 38, including nine cities, 36 businesses, and three universities. Over 1.3 million Missourians live in a community officially recognized in the Bicycle Friendly Community program.

Find out more about Bicycle Friendly Communities in Missouri--and how to make your community a Bicycle Friendly Community on our Bicycle Friendly Missouri information page.

Working to create a world-class bicycle and pedestrian transportation system across Missouri is one of the top goals of MoBikeFed's Vision for Bicycling and Walking in Missouri. Promoting and encouraging Bicycle Friendly Communities, Businesses, and Universities and Walk Friendly Communities across Missouri is one of the ways we achieve that goal.

Your ongoing membership and generous financial support help turn our Vision into reality!