Menasha Named Bicycle Friendly Community

League of American Bicyclists honored the efforts of the City of Menasha to build better places for people to bike with a Bronze-level Bicycle Friendly Community (BFC) award.  The award recognizes Menasha 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.  While Menasha’s unique topography and waterfront can create barriers to connectivity, the City has used this to their advantage creating some of the most beautiful and unique award winning mobility solutions in the area.

“Biking has the power to transform our nation economically, environmentally and socially and it’s so important that communities like Menasha have laid the groundwork over several years to make biking a safe, accessible option for all” 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 Menasha and advocates like Fox Cities Greenways and the Wisconsin Bike Federation for better biking. In this award round, Menasha joins 57 new and renewing Bicycle Friendly Communities in the movement toward healthier, more sustainable and connected places.” In the Fox Cities, only Menasha and Appleton have received Bicycle Friendly Community awards.

The League of American Bicyclists’ Bicycle Friendly America program sets the standard for how communities build and benchmark progress toward making biking better. This round of awards includes 57 new and renewing awardees, joining a total of 497 current Bicycle Friendly Communities across the United States. The Bronze BFC award recognizes Menasha’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.

“Menasha has strived to create a community where biking is fun and safe for people of all ages and abilities” said Mayor Donald Merkes, “We’ve found that people see the world differently on a bike, they  explore, re-energize, and connect with nature.  More importantly, visitors come back; they want to be close to trails in their everyday life.”

More than 850 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.  

The five levels of the BFC award – diamond, platinum, gold, silver and bronze, plus an honorable mention category – provide a clear incentive for communities to continuously improve. Awarded communities must renew their status every four years to ensure that they not only maintain existing efforts, but also keep up with changing technology, national safety standards, and community-driven best practices.  

About the League of American Bicyclists
The League of American Bicyclists leads the national movement to create a Bicycle Friendly America for everyone. With a history dating to 1880, the League is committed to engaging diverse communities and building a powerful, unified voice for change around protecting and promoting bicyclists’ rights. Learn more at www.bikeleague.org

About the Wisconsin Bike Federation
The Wisconsin Bike Fed is the only statewide organization that advocates for better bicycling for everyone who rides a bike. Whether you ride for transportation, train for health, fitness and competition or just ride for fun on trails, our staff and board are working to make it easier, safer and more fun.  Learn more at www.wisconsinbikefed.org