Silver-Level Bicycle Friendly Community Awarded
League of American Bicyclists
Traverse City has been named a silver-level Bicycle Friendly Community by the League of American Bicyclists.
The League of American Bicyclists honored the efforts of Traverse City to build better places for people to bike with a silver-level Bicycle Friendly Community (BFC) award on January 29, 2026. Traverse City joins more than 400 communities across the country in a national movement for safer streets and better bicycling for everyone. The award recognizes the City’s commitment to creating transportation and recreational resources that benefit residents of all ages and abilities while encouraging healthier and more sustainable transportation choices.
The silver designation reflects intentional, long-term planning and investment in multimodal transportation infrastructure, including bicycle facilities that improve safety, connectivity, and accessibility for people traveling by bike as part of their everyday lives.
The City of Traverse City led a comprehensive, community-wide effort to pursue the designation, coordinating the application process with assistance from regional and local stakeholders, including active transportation advocates, nonprofit partners, and planning and public safety organizations. The process included a detailed evaluation of infrastructure, policies, programs, and community engagement, as well as public input from local bicyclists and residents.
In 2009, Traverse City was awarded a bronze-level Bicycle Friendly Community designation. Advancing from bronze to silver reflects the City’s continued progress and growing maturity in bicycle planning, policy, and implementation.
“Building better places to bike is a shared effort,” said Bill Nesper, executive director of the League of American Bicyclists. “The communities recognized here are part of a growing national movement, taking practical steps to support bicycling as a safe, accessible, and valuable part of everyday life.”
The League of American Bicyclists’ Bicycle Friendly America program sets the national standard for how communities benchmark progress toward making biking better. The League regularly updates the application process to help communities raise standards for safety, equity, and accessibility.
This round of awards includes 79 new and renewing awardees, joining a total of 444 current Bicycle Friendly Communities across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The silver-level BFC award recognizes Traverse City’s commitment to improving conditions for all people who bike through investments in bike education programs, encouragement activities, pro-bike policies, and bicycle infrastructure.
“Our welcoming biking culture contributes to the livability of Traverse City,” said Mayor Amy Shamroe. “Moving up from bronze to silver is a momentum boost that is already energizing City staff and community partners—including Norte, TART, and the Grand Traverse Safe Streets Alliance—to continue improving biking infrastructure and safety for everyone.”
More than 900 communities have applied for recognition through the Bicycle Friendly Community program, which provides a roadmap for making bicycling better in communities of all sizes. While the award process considers visible elements such as bike lanes and trails, it also evaluates education, encouragement, enforcement, and evaluation efforts through an equity-focused lens. The application itself serves as an educational tool, helping communities identify strengths and opportunities for continued improvement.
The five levels of the BFC award—diamond, platinum, gold, silver, and bronze, plus honorable mention—encourage continuous progress. Awarded communities must renew their status every four years to ensure they are maintaining momentum and keeping pace with evolving best practices, technology, and safety standards.
To learn more about the Bicycle Friendly Community program, visit bikeleague.org/community.
About the League of American Bicyclists
The League of American Bicyclists leads the national movement to create a Bicycle Friendly America for everyone. Founded in 1880, the League works to engage diverse communities and build a unified voice to protect and promote the rights of people who bike. Learn more at www.bikeleague.org