Community Corner
Palo Alto, Stanford Earn Top Spots as 'Bike-Friendly Communities'
Cyclists, do you agree?
The city of Palo Alto and Stanford University were ranked among the most bike-friendly communities in America by a national bicycle organization.
The League of American Bicyclists, founded in 1880 as the League of American Wheelmen and devoted to creating safe, bicycle-friendly roads nationwide, released its 2013 Bicycle Friendly Community List with Palo Alto and Stanford earning "gold" recognition.
Each year, the league assesses all 50 states. Communities, businesses and universities are assessed through a voluntary application process.
The highest or "platinum' awards went to Davis, Fort Collins and Boulder in Colorado, and Portland, Ore.
Joining Palo Alto and Stanford in the second-level "gold" category were such communities as San Francisco, Scottsdale, Az., and Seattle.
In August, Palo Alto joined a handful of Bay area towns and San Francisco launching the first public bike share program in California and the first regional program of its kind in the nation.
The league rates cities for five contributions to bicycle friendliness: creating safe and convenient places to ride; providing education for new and less experienced cyclists; creating a strong bike culture; ensuring safe roads for biking; and planning for bicycling as a safe and viable transportation option.
You may learn more about the league's program here and see the complete list of bike-friendly communities here.
