U of A Working to Earn Rating as a Bicycle Friendly University

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Bicycles are an increasingly popular way to get around campus

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – This summer the University of Arkansas has begun pursuing official certification as a Bicycle Friendly University. Whether you currently ride your bike on campus or not, you can help by taking this brief survey about possible barriers to cycling on campus.

The League of American Bicyclists, which coordinates the Bicycle Friendly University and Bicycle Friendly Community programs, offers five levels of certification to a university. Each university can increase its profile by improving criteria set out by 5 E's: Engineering, Education, Encouragement, Enforcement, and Evaluation/Planning.

The U of A received the Honorable Mention designation when it first applied in 2014. This is the first level awarded and does not receive recognition as a Bicycle Friendly University.

The U of A is now pursuing Bronze level certification, which allows a university to claim the title of Bicycle Friendly and sets the stage for even greater improvement as momentum continues to build.

Silver level certification is awarded to universities that have contributed a major effort into creating a solid biking culture on their campus. The City of Fayetteville recently became a Silver level Bicycle Friendly Community, and the University of Arkansas hopes to catch up to, if not surpass, the city in this endeavor.

The fourth and fifth levels are Gold and Platinum, respectively. While these designations seem far off in the U of A's future, we believe that aiming for Platinum from the outset will lead to success in the future.

This task is not an easy one, and it will require a lot of partnership, enthusiasm, and hard work from all the people who help to make the U of A what it is today. You can begin contributing to this effort by considering riding your bike to campus once more per week (or per month) than you do now, engaging those around you in conversations about cycling on campus, and filling out the 10 minute survey about possible barriers to cycling on the U of A campus.