News Release -- National Bike Organization Names Rochester a Bicycle Friendly Community

 City of Rochester

News Release

(Monday, Dec. 21, 2020) -- Mayor Lovely A. Warren announced today that the League of American Bicyclists has renewed Rochester’s status as a Bicycle Friendly Community.

“It is gratifying to see our continued investments in bicycle infrastructure and ridership programs are raising Rochester’s national profile as a city committed to providing its citizens a better quality of life along with racial and economic equity,” said Mayor Warren. “Making it easier to choose bikes over vehicles is good for our health and the environment, attracts employers and improves access to opportunities for residents without vehicles, especially those who were born in neighborhoods with long histories of institutional racism and financial disinvestment. I want to thank the League of Amerian Bicyclists for recognizing those efforts and supporting our goals of creating more jobs, safer, more vibrant neighborhood and better educational outcomes.”

“It’s so important that communities like Rochester 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 Rochester and its citizen advocates for better biking.”

The Bronze level award recognizes Rochester’s efforts to increase ridership through such activities as the annual Bike Week events; adoption of a bicycle sharing program; community rides; and the ongoing expansion of an almost 100-mile network of bicycle infrastructure, including on-street bike lanes and cycle tracks. In 2021, the City will implement a partnership with RTS and HOPR Bike and Scooter Share; add more than 25 new miles of infrastructure to the bicycle network; and begin an update of the 2011 Bicycle Master Plan.

The League of American Bicyclists sets the standard for community progress toward better biking. Rochester is one four Bicycle Friendly Communities in New York and 485 in the United States. More than 850 communities applied for recognition.

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News Media: For more information, contact Bridgette Burch White at (585) 428-6064 or Bridgette.Burchwhite@cityofrochester.gov.