Bicycle Friendly Community

The League of American Bicyclists have designated the cities of Mankato and North Mankato a "bronze" Bicycle Friendly Community.  The Bicycle Friendly Community program revolutionizes the way communities evaluate their quality of life, sustainability and transportation networks, while benchmarking progress toward improving bicycle-friendliness.  There are 214 Bicycle Friendly Community designations in 47 states across America, including the greater Mankato area.

The Bicycle Friendly Community Program provides incentives, hands-on assistance, and award recognition for communities that actively support bicycling. A Bicycle Friendly Community welcomes cyclists by providing safe accommodation for cycling and encouraging people to bike for transportation and recreation. 

Encouraging bicycling is a simple way towards improving public health. With more people bicycling, communities experience reduced traffic demands, improved air quality and greater physical fitness. In addition, Bicycle Friendly Communities are places with a high quality of life, where people want to live, work, and visit. Building such a community can translate into a more connected, physically active, and environmentally sustainable community that enjoys increased property values, business growth, increased tourism, and more transportation choices for citizens.