Kentucky environmental lawyer Sanders says Lexington has plan to reach coveted platinum status awarded by League of American Bicyclists.

Do it for the kids, who might just leave their XBox 360s in the off position.

The League of American Bicyclists is judging cities on their willingness to “welcome cyclists by providing well-engineered bicycle facilities, creating new places to ride, educating motorists and cyclists on the rules of the road, and encouraging people to bike for transportation and recreation.”

The League of American Bicyclists awards a “Bicycle Friendly Community” designation to cities that record significant progress in two of five categories, described in their program as the “Five Es.” 

1.            Education: Does the community have systems in place to train children and adult cyclists?

2.            Engineering: Are bicyclists included in the city’s transportation plan?

3.            Enforcement: Do police officers understand and enforce bicyclists’ rights and responsibilities?

4.            Encouragement: Does the community participate in Bike Month, offer bike rodeos, host community bike rides, or otherwise encourage cycling?

5.            Evaluation: Does the community have methods in place to ensure their bicyclist programs are making a difference?

To make Lexington even more bicycle-friendly, Lexington Mayor Jim Newberry appointed a 17-person task force to implement recommendations developed by participants of the Lexington Bike Summit, which was convened in the fall of 2007. That Bike Summit considered ways to realize the LFUCG Bike/Pedestrian Master Plan that had been adopted earlier in 2007.

A public forum, hosted by the Mayor’s Bike Task Force (MBTF) and sponsored by the Knight Foundation, has been scheduled for Tuesday, May 5, at 6:30 p.m., at Central Library in downtown Lexington.  The public forum will focus discussion on how Lexington can move up to the platinum level and improving cycling opportunities and bike safety in the Lexington area.

What a great idea for the public good in the city of Lexington!  We wish them the very best towards achieving their goal of reaching platinum status for bicyclists.  Please take time to attend this important meeting and volunteer to make Lexington a better place to live, work and go to school.

Where are the cities of Northern Kentucky on the rankings compiled by the League of American Bicyclists??  Come on Covington, let’s work to making Northern Kentucky more friendly to biking and walking!!