Bicycle-friendly status eludes Cedar Rapids for now

The League of American Bicyclists has stopped short of awarding the city of Cedar Rapids want it had sought, the status of bicycle-friendly community.

Instead, the national bicyclist organization has evaluated the city's application and given the city a rating of honorable mention, which stops “right at the door step” of bicycle-friendly status, reports Ron Griffith, a transportation engineer with the city who has spearheaded the city's bicycle-friendly effort.

Griffith said Tuesday that the city's campaign to win the bicycle status is an ongoing one, and he noted that the city can reapply in February or next July.

The city now has bike racks on buses, some bicycle markings on streets, a bicycle ambassador group, a comprehensive trails program in the works and a new complete-streets policy, which dictates that new city streets should be built with vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians in mind.

“It shows we're headed in the right direction,” Griffith said of the city's designation of honorable mention.

The League of American Bicyclists has four levels of certification, platinum, gold, silver and bronze. Earlier this year, Cedar Falls and Iowa City achieved bronze status, according to the league's Web site.

Boulder, Colo., Davis, Calif., and Portland, Ore., are the only three cities in the nation with a platinum rating.

Ten cities are classified as gold, 23 as silver, 87 as bronze.