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<br />Earlier this year, the first Bike the Bend drew nearly 1,800 recreational bicyclists to the streets of
<br />South Bend, Mishawaka and St. Joseph County. South Bend also became Indiana’s leading city
<br />for commuting by bicycle, according to 2008 U.S. Census statistics.
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<br />South Bend was among 18 new Bicycle Friendly Communities, which were chosen from 48
<br />first-time applicants. South Bend received a bronze designation in its second time applying,
<br />where larger cities like Baltimore, Md., and Knoxville, Tenn., received the designation after
<br />three applications.
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<br />“The most exciting thing about this round of awards was seeing communities that had
<br />implemented past feedback, improved their communities, and achieved a Bicycle Friendly
<br />Community designation,” said Andy Clark, League president.
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<br />Currently, South Bend has established 52.4 miles of bicycle routes within the city. The network
<br />consists of 12.7 miles of multipurpose trails, 15.8 miles of striped bicycle lanes and 23.9 miles of
<br />designated on-street routes. For more information, visit www.SouthBendIN.gov/bike
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<br />The Bicycle Friendly Community program provides incentives, hands-on assistance and award
<br />recognition for communities that actively support bicycling. South Bend’s application was
<br />prepared by Chris Dressel, the City of South Bend’s bicycle coordinator, with support from
<br />Michael Divita, a planner with the Department of Community of Economic Development, and
<br />members of the Bike Michiana Coalition.
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<br />South Bend joins Bloomington, Carmel and Indianapolis/Marion County as the only Indiana
<br />communities with the designation. All are designated at the Bronze level, except Bloomington
<br />which today was awarded a Silver designation. Communities designated for the first time today
<br />(all at the bronze level) are:
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<br />?Baltimore, Md. ?Fayetteville, Ark. ?Menlo Park, Calif.
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<br />?Carbondale, Colo. ?Golden, Colo. ?Oakland, Calif.
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<br />?Chapel Hill, N.C. ?Gresham, Ore. ?San Antonio, Texas
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<br />?Charleston, S.C. ?Houghton, Mich. ?Sanibel, Fla.
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<br />?Concord, N.H. ?Huntington Beach, Calif. ?Santa Clara, Calif.
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<br />?Durham, N.C. ?Knoxville, Tenn. ?South Bend, Ind.
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<br />The three-year designation (up for renewal in July 2014) is based on a detailed application that
<br />provides a comprehensive picture of a community’s commitment to bicycling through
<br />engineering, education, encouragement, enforcement, and evaluation/planning. Communities
<br />must demonstrate achievements in each of the five categories for designation. Communities with
<br />more significant achievements receive superior awards.
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<br />Three communities – Boulder, Colo., Davis, Calif., and Portland, Ore. – are designated at the
<br />Platinum level, 10 at the Gold level, 28 at the Silver level and the rest at the Bronze level. Only
<br />six Midwestern cities are ranked above the Bronze level. Also today, the League of American
<br />Bicyclists announced a new program to designate Bicycle Friendly Universities.
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<br />In the last eight years, commuting by bicyclists in communities designated as Bicycle Friendly
<br />Communities has grown by 70 percent, according to the League. An estimated 2.29 percent of
<br />South Bend commuters traveled to work by bicycle in 2008 – a percentage that exceeds national
<br />averages, including for Bicycle Friendly Communities, according to the Census Bureau’s 2008
<br />American Community Survey. In addition, the total number of South Bend residents who used a
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