Manchester Awarded Bronze-Level Bicycle Friendly Community Award
Published on January 31, 2025
Earlier this week the Town of Manchester was honored by the League of American Bicyclists with a Bronze-Level Bicycle Friendly Community (BFC) award thanks to the Town’s work in building better places for people to bike. Manchester joins 460 communities across the country in the movement for safer streets and better bicycling for everyone. The award recognizes Manchester 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.
Manchester is one of only 12 communities in Connecticut to be awarded this honor.
"We are proud to receive the Bicycle Friendly Community Award, which highlights the progress we've made and reinforces our commitment to making our city more accessible, sustainable, and safe for everyone,” said Manchester Mayor Jay Moran.
“Manchester is a statewide leader in the field of recreation and this award demonstrates our efforts to prioritize safe streets, ensure accessibility for all, and promote sustainability,” said Town Manager Steve Stephanou.
The League of American Bicyclists’ Bicycle Friendly America program sets the standard for how communities build and benchmark progress toward making biking better. The BFC award recognizes Manchester’s commitment to improving conditions for all people who bike through investments in bike education programs, regular bike events that promote and encourage people to choose biking, pro-bike policies, and bike infrastructure.
“We are honored to receive this designation that recognizes the achievements we have made in our efforts to make Manchester accessible by bicycle,” said Joshua Charette, Recreation Supervisor for the Department of Leisure, Family & Recreation. “This award recognizes the collective efforts of the Town, local organizations, dozens of bicycle-friendly businesses and countless community members to advance safe, accessible and joyful bicycling opportunities across Manchester.”
Nearly 900 communities 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.
To learn more about the BFC program, visit bikeleague.org/community.