What is a Bike Friendly Community?

We've had many people ask "Just what does it mean to be recognized as a bicycle friendly community and why should we be spending tax money to earn that recognition?" It's a great question and shouldn't we be asking that about every tax dollar we spend? Here in Simsbury we are fortunate to have a town center where residents can walk, ride bikes, hold parades, enjoy concerts and feel safe. A walkable town center is an enviable asset in a town because it provides easy access to town services and businesses and builds community. It's easy to take that for granted. Now add the Iron Horse Boulevard section of town with the shared use trail, Paw Meadows, Simsbury Meadows and the Rotary Park Playground and you have a complex that many towns only dream about. Imagine if the entire town of Simsbury were as well connected as our town center. Bike Friendly Communities are not built over night but evolve as planners, engineers, residents, bike advocates, schools, businesses and the State of Connecticut work together to improve community roadways with the goal of keeping people safe, well connected and active. There are many aspects of what is involved in moving to a more Bike Friendly Simsbury. In most cases it doesn't involve new tax money but new ways of thinking about how we invest in our infrastructure, our children's education and our vision of Simsbury over the next 10-20 years. There is no doubt that to become more Bike Friendly requires a bit of a culture shift as well. In future blog posts we will be addressing many of the issues and ideas related to this shift including adoption of the Complete Streets Law in Connecticut, bike etiquette, connecting our neighborhoods, teaching bike safety in our schools, how to share the road with cyclists and more. In the meantime, many of you will be traveling on summer vacation soon. If you are headed to Portland Oregon, Boston, Madison Wisconsin, Minneapolis, Boulder, Washington, DC...you will see first hand what it feels like to be in a Bike Friendly Community. You will know it when you see it!