UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS (WCIA) — UIUC’s commitment to a bike-friendly environment has paid off with a new designation from the League of American Bicyclists.
It’s been named a Silver Bicycle Friendly University (BFU). It’s one of more than 200 colleges and universities recognized nationally and one of 94 with silver-level or better status. The UIUC campus has maintained a bronze-level BFU since 2011.
The BFU program evaluates efforts to promote bicycling in five areas:
- Engineering
- Encouragement
- Education
- Enforcement
- Evaluation/planning
Some of the university’s recent initiatives contributing to the upgraded certification include:
- The publication of the 2014 Campus Bike Plan
- Bike path and bike lane improvement projects
- Bike rack parking upgrades and additions
- The launch of the Bike at Illinois website
- The start of VeoRide bike-sharing in 2018
- The improvement of bike route networks through MCORE
“Just as applying to a college or university requires self-reflection, self-evaluation, and meeting rigorous standards, so too does applying for and attaining Bicycle Friendly University status.”
Encouraging bicycling on campus and reducing carbon emissions from commuting and fleet transportation is a major theme of the Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP), which includes future objectives for new and improved bike infrastructure.
