The League of American Bicyclists has added eight more communities to its list of Bicycle Friendly Communities, expanding the number of honored cities to 58.
Leading the list of cities added this year is Jackson, Wyoming, with a silver designation. Others, judged bronze, are Carmel, Indiana; Louisville, Kentucky; Roswell, Georgia; St. Petersburg, Florida; and Sacramento, San Jose, and South Lake Tahoe, California.
The bike league renewed the designations of Eugene, Oregon (silver), and Chandler, Arizona; Lawrence, Kansas; and Orlando, Florida (bronze).
Davis, California, still leads the full list of 58 bicycle friendly cities with its platinum designation.
The municipalities won their spots on the list by submitting documentation that they accommodate safe cycling and encourage bicycling for transportation and recreation.
What are these new cities doing right for cyclists? According to the league:
Jackson is implementing a bicycle master plan (.pdf) that aims to increase bicycle use and safety and expand the community's 26 miles of a trails to a network of 80-some miles;
Carmel, which failed in an earlier attempt, has raised $3.4 million for bicycling projects through a bond issue;
Louisville is implementing a bicycle master plan outlined here;
Roswell spent about $1.5 million on bike and hike paths in the past year;
St. Petersburg acquired 2 miles of abandoned railroad for a trail to connect downtown to the Pinellas Trail;
Sacramento installed bike paths and lanes in sprawling areas of the city;
San Jose invested $1.4 million in the River Oaks Bicycle and Pedestrian Bridge that opened in May;
South Lake Tahoe has installed bike trails throughout the city and maintains them with public bonds.
Go here for more about the Bicycle Friendly Communities program.
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