November 18, 2014 - Today, the League of American Bicyclists recognized the City of Knoxville with a Bronze Bicycle Friendly Community (BFC) award for the second time.

Knoxville was first recognized with the award in 2010. Communities can reapply every four years. With the announcement of 55 new and renewing BFCs today, Knoxville joins a leading group of 326 communities, in all 50 states, that are transforming neighborhoods.

You can see the complete list at http://bikeleague.org/content/bicycle-friendly-communities-all-50-states.

"Visionary community leaders are recognizing the real-time and long-term impact that a culture of bicycling can create," said Andy Clarke, President of the League of American Bicyclists. "We applaud this new round of communities for investing in a more sustainable future for the country and a healthier future for their residents and beyond."

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. The Bronze-level BFC award recognizes Knoxville's commitment to improving conditions for bicycling through investment in bicycling promotion, education programs, infrastructure and pro-bicycling policies.

"This award recognizes our significant investments in bicycle infrastructure in recent years, including bike lanes, signed routes and on-street bicycle parking," said Mayor Madeline Rogero. "We know we still have a lot of work to do, and we are currently completing a city-wide study to help us set priorities for expansion of our bicycle network.

Thanks to the League of American Bicyclists for this designation. We are proud to be a Bicycle Friendly Community, and in future years we hope to move up in the rankings. Bronze is just a start!"

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 800 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.

To apply or learn more about the BFC program, visit www.bikeleague.org/community.

About the Bicycle Friendly America Program

The Bicycle Friendly Community, Bicycle Friendly State, Bicycle Friendly Business and Bicycle Friendly University programs are generously supported by program partner Trek Bicycle. To learn more about building a Bicycle Friendly America, visit www.bikeleague.org/BFA