Champaign has now joined Urbana in being a bronze-level Bicycle Friendly Community as recognized by the League of American Bicyclists.

The community recognized this distinction Tuesday evening on the corner of Neil and Chester streets near the Champaign City Building. The bike racks on the streets were full as a few dozen community members rode their bikes to the event. At this recognition event, the city unveiled the official sign.

“This isn’t just about a sign,” said Rob Kowalski, assistant planning director of the City of Champaign, at the recognition. “It’s about the achievements and development and building a bike-friendly community.”

To become a bike-friendly community is not an easy process though, Kowalski said. He said the city had to fill out an online application that had around a hundred questions and had to demonstrate several things.

First, Kowalski said that the city had to show physical improvements with the community, such has bike lanes. The city also had to have an educational component that teach people how to safely ride bikes, as well as teach those in cars drive with bikes. Champaign also had to demonstrate that it has plans for future.

“You have to have a vision for the future, that you want to do more,” Kowalski said.

Kowalski said although being a bicycle-friendly community doesn’t come with grant dollars, the League of American Bicyclists still holds high standards for the designation.

Jeff Yockey, president of Champaign County Bikes, said less than half of cities who apply for the designation actually achieve the honor.

“It’s not just given out to anyone,” Yockey said.

Mayor Don Gerard said he was “exceptionally excited” for the designation because he grew up in Champaign and personally rides his bike everywhere and didn’t buy  his first car until he was 30 years old.

Kowalski said Champaign has had its eyes on becoming a Bicycle Friendly Community since the city became a Bicycle Friendly Business in 2010. To earn that designation, he said that the city building created amenities so that it would be easier for employees to take their bike to work, such as a bike pool and a shower facility.

After the city garnered this recognition, Kowalski said the city staff started working together with Champaign County Bikes and Safe Routes to School to start the application process so that the whole city could be considered bicycle-friendly.

The status of Champaign being a bronze-level Bicycle Friendly Community lasts four years, so Kowalski said Champaign is hoping to obtain a silver-level status in the next 2-4 years. Communities can earn up to platinum status, but Kowalski said platinum is a very high status, achieved by few.

“Silver is definitely obtainable,” he said. “We need to continue to expand infrastructure of bike lanes, complete streets, do more promotional efforts to get people to ride more.”

Kat can be reached at [email protected].