{"id":352452,"date":"2018-12-27T12:28:49","date_gmt":"2018-12-27T17:28:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/?p=352452"},"modified":"2018-12-27T12:35:23","modified_gmt":"2018-12-27T17:35:23","slug":"university-receives-bicycle-friendly-silver-award-352452","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/university-receives-bicycle-friendly-silver-award-352452\/","title":{"rendered":"University earns silver \u2018Bicycle Friendly\u2019 award"},"content":{"rendered":"
The League of American Bicyclists has announced its 2018 Bicycle Friendly University (BFU) awards, which recognize 45 colleges and universities<\/a> for their outstanding support of bicycling to ensure healthy, accessible and eco-friendly transportation and recreation for students and staff. This year, the University of Rochester earned its first ever silver award.<\/p>\n Of the four achievement levels of bronze to platinum, the League presented seven gold, 16 silver, and 22 bronze awards, in addition to recognizing five universities and colleges with honorable mention status. The Bicycle Friendly University Program was launched in 2011 with the goal to inspire higher education institutions to develop more sustainable, livable campuses that make biking better for students, staff and visitors.<\/p>\n The University\u2019s bike-friendly services and programs are administered through the Department of Transportation and Parking Management\u2019s UR Connections<\/a> program. UR Connections focuses on encouraging\u00a0 alternative transportation options that can reduce the number of cars being driven to campus, thereby reducing commuting costs for employees, reducing campus congestion, and promoting the sustainability efforts for the University.<\/p>\n Among the new initiatives implemented this year that contributed to the BFU silver recognition \u00a0include the introduction of monthly bicycling classes (offered April through November) with a certified instructor from the League of Bicyclists. These sessions give riders the skills to confidently bike to work or school, including providing safety tips on navigating roadways. All classes are free and open to the University community and will be reintroduced this spring.<\/p>\n