downtown bikeways.
(Photos © J. Maus)
Last week, Eugene transportation planners and bike enthusiasts got some exciting news; the League of American Bicyclists announced they were a “Gold” level Bicycle Friendly Community.
The League cited Eugene’s “remarkable commitments to bicycling”, their 5.5 percent bicycle mode share, and their new, human-powered only bridge over I-5 as reasons for upgrading them. Eugene had been a Sliver level city since 2004. They’re one of seven cities in Oregon to be recognized by the League (the others are Bend, Beaverton, Ashland and Salem with Bronze, Corvallis with Gold, and Portland with Platinum).
off-street paths along the river.
To celebrate, a new shop in Eugene with a transportation focus (another sign that they’re moving up in bike-friendly stature) called Arriving By Bike, held a happy hour Friday evening (learn more about that shop in The Register Guard).
You can bet that Eugene will now look ahead to Platinum, a designation that only three cities in America can lay claim to. They’ll get that opportunity when their application is up for renewal in 2013.