UW News

November 14, 2018

Gold standard: UW wins recognition as bike friendly campus

The University of Washington has won a Gold Bicycle Friendly University award from the League of American Bicyclists in recognition of its achievements in promoting safe, accessible bicycling on campus.

The university awards are part of the League’s larger program to create a Bicycle Friendly America for everyone. This is the second time the UW has won this award, which is good for four years. Of the 193 BFU colleges and universities, only 29 have achieved gold or platinum status.

The UW is home to over 10,000 bicycle parking spaces, 1,000 of which are in secure lockers, houses and bike rooms. More than 10 percent of faculty trips to campus are by bike, according to the 2017 campus transportation survey. Six percent of all daily visitors to campus travel by bike, for a total of 17,622 trips a week.

In addition, UW Transportation Services supports bike commuters with promotions such as the current “Ride in the Rain” campaign and offers introductory classes on topics ranging from bike maintenance to bike safety. A supportive program called “Bike Buddy” pairs beginners with more experienced bikers of the UW community.

“We’re honored to be awarded a Gold Bicycle Friendly University designation for the second time. At the University of Washington, sustainability is in our nature,” said Transportation Services Director Anne Eskridge. “Embracing and advocating sustainable modes of transportation, like biking, is at the heart of the work we do each and every day at Transportation Services. We strive to have a strong biking program and support commuters that bike to UW.”

For more information about the bicycling resources UW Transportation Services offers, visit http://transportation.uw.edu or contact them at ucommute@uw.edu.

To learn more about the BFU program, visit the League at www.bikeleague.org/university.

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