Bicycle Friendly Community Initiative

 

State College Borough Designated Gold and the Centre Region Council of Governments Designated Silver Bicycle Friendly Businesses by the League of American Bicyclists

  

 

 

Today, the League of American Bicyclists (LAB) recognized the Centre Region Council of Governments (CRCOG) with a silver Bicycle Friendly Business (BFB) award and State College Borough formerly silver was moved up to a gold designation. The designations place CRCOG and SCB alongside over 1,400 businesses across the country contributing to the movement to build a more Bicycle Friendly America.

“It has become sort of a tradition at the League to kick off a New Year with Bicycle Friendly Business awards, as the awards serve to inspire the movement for a more Bicycle Friendly America,” said Bill Nesper, executive director of the League of American Bicyclists. “After facing the myriad challenges of 2020, it’s awesome to start 2021 recognizing the efforts of 43 businesses to be more welcoming to people who bike. We saw so many Americans’ lives disrupted and changed in 2020, and so many turned to bicycling as part of their routine, whether to ride to their healthcare job or drop of their kid at school. Bicycle Friendly Businesses played an important role in making 2020 the year of the bike, and these BFBs honored today will help make 2021 even better for people who bike and the communities they live and work in.”

The Centre Region COG and State College Borough join 43 total new and renewing BFBs in the League’s latest round of business awards and 1,406 total BFBs nationwide, including everything from government agencies, Fortune 500 companies, bike shops, and other employers, all united in a commitment to transform American workplaces to be more welcoming to both customers and employees who bike. The Bicycle Friendly Business award recognizes an organization’s contributions over months and years to the movement to build a Bicycle Friendly America for everyone. “Bicycle Friendly Businesses are small businesses and large businesses, they are mom and pops and multinational, and they will be a part of our nation’s recovery,” said Nesper. “By offering simple solutions that enable people to easily go places by bike, employers like the CRCOG are demonstrating leadership towards healthier, stronger communities and improving the well-being of our colleagues, friends, and neighbors by making biking better for everyone.”

Matthew Cox, CentreBike President stated, “Over the past four years, State College Borough and the Centre Region COG have organized and promoted education and encouragement programs to make biking both safe and fun for everyone. With the COVID pandemic, more people are turning to bicycling as part of their physical and mental wellbeing, and the Centre Region has a lot to offer.”

Ronald Filippelli, State College Mayor stated, “The Borough of State College has a long-standing emphasis on being a bike friendly community, and it’s been exciting that in recent years we have seen these efforts expand throughout the Centre Region. The wide range of events hosted by the Centre Region and State College Borough Staff have helped expand the number of bikers locally, which in turn promotes a healthy and environmentally friendly region. I want to thank everyone that made a special effort to sponsor events over the past year, which enabled us to continue making strides during these challenging times.”

“The Centre Region Council of Governments (CRCOG) is proud to be a leader in promoting biking for transportation and recreation,” said Eric Norenberg, Executive Director of the Centre Region COG. “We want to empower citizens and visitors to get out and ride through education and encouragement events in the community. And we are excited to be recognized by the League of American Bicyclists for our regional bike program.”

As part of the BFB network, State College Borough and the Centre Region COG will have access to a variety of tools and technical assistance from the League to become even more welcoming to people who bike.

To learn more about the BFB program, or to apply, visit the League online at www.bikeleague.org/business.

 

 

The Centre Region was designated a bronze-level Bicycle Friendly Community (BFC) in 2012 and 2016 by the League of American Bicyclists (LAB). In late December 2020, the LAB honored the efforts of the Centre Region to build better places for people to bike with a Silver Level Bicycle Friendly Community (BFC) award. 

 

The Centre Region joins 485 communities across the country in the movement for safer streets and better bicycling for everyone. The award recognizes the Centre Region for its commitment to creating transportation and recreational resources that benefit its residents of all ages and abilities while encouraging healthier and more sustainable transportation choices.

“During one of the toughest years in recent memory, we have seen so many Americans turn to biking during the pandemic for fun and for necessary transportation options. It’s so important that communities like the Centre Region have laid the groundwork over several years to make biking a safe, accessible option for people when we all need as much health and happiness as possible,” said Bill Nesper, Executive Director of the League of American Bicyclists. “This Bicycle Friendly Community award is the culmination of years of work put in by the Centre Region and its citizen advocates for better biking. This award round, the Centre Region joins 51 new and renewing Bicycle Friendly Communities in the movement toward healthier, more sustainable and connected places. As we turn the page on 2020 and look ahead to 2021, we’re proud that the Centre Region and communities like it are embracing bicycling as a solution to our collective recovery.”

“The Centre Region is a great place to bike for both transportation and recreation,” stated Centre Region COG Executive Director, Eric Norenberg. “Our commitment to education, infrastructure improvement, and events help make bicycling available to a wide range of participants.”

The League of American Bicyclists’ Bicycle Friendly America program sets the standard for how communities build and benchmark progress toward making biking better. This round of awards includes 51 new and renewing awardees, joining a total of 485 current Bicycle Friendly Communities in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The silver BFC award recognizes the Centre Region’s commitment to improving conditions for all people who bike through investments in bike education programs, pro-bike policies, bike infrastructure, and regular bike events that promote and encourage people to choose biking.

More than 850communities have applied for recognition by the Bicycle Friendly Community program, which provides a roadmap to making biking better for communities of all shapes and sizes. While the award process considers very visible elements such as bike infrastructure, other essential elements include efforts around adult and youth bike education, encouragement through events like Bike to Work Day, evaluation mechanisms, and enforcement all through the lens of equity. The rigorous application process is an educational tool in itself and includes an opportunity for local bicyclists and active transportation advocates to provide input on their experiences and perceptions of bicycling in their community.

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 must renew their status every four years to ensure that they not only maintain existing efforts, but also keep up with changing technology, national safety standards, and community-driven best practices. To learn more about the BFC program, visit www.bikeleague.org/community.

The League of American Bicyclists leads the national movement to create a Bicycle Friendly America for everyone. With a history dating to 1880, the League is committed to engaging diverse communities and building a powerful, unified voice for change around protecting and promoting bicyclists’ rights. Learn more at www.bikeleague.org.

 

Click here to explore the Centre Region Bicycle Friendly Community Application

 

 

                           On November 16, 2016, the League of American Bicyclists recognized the State College - Centre Region by renewing the area's designation as a Bronze level Bicycle Friendly CommunitySM (BFC).

Click here to view a map of other Bicycle Friendly AmericaSM designees in Central PA. 

Bicycle Friendly CommunitySM is a service mark of the League of American Bicyclists and is used with permission.

2012 Bicycle Friendly CommunitySM Feedback Report 

2016 Bicycle Friendly CommunitySM Application 

Regional Maps:

  

Regional Bike Plan:

Centre Region COG Initiatives:

  

SCASD Driver Training Initiative:

Centre Region Bicycle Advisory Committee (CRBAC) Activities: 

Other Centre Region Bicycling Resources:

Past Bike Events:

Media Coverage: