Bicycle Friendly Communities are places with a high quality of life, where people want to live, work, and visit. By making Urbana more bike-friendly, we hope to create a more connected, physically active, and environmentally sustainable community with increased property values, business growth, tourism, and more transportation choices for citizens.
The League of American Bicyclists has recognized Urbana with a Gold-Level Bicycle Friendly Community award, joining more than 460 visionary communities from across the country. In November 2014, Urbana was named the first Gold-level Bicycle Friendly Community in Illinois.
The program evaluates five categories often referred to as "the Five E's" - Engineering, Education, Encouragement, Enforcement, and Evaluation and Planning. To achieve Gold status, Urbana had to demonstrate significant accomplishments related to all five categories.