May was National Bike Month and there were several events throughout the community to raise awareness of the benefits of bicycling. The highlight of the month was Bike to Work Day with 44 city employees participating. The City of Urbana challenged Champaign to see which organization could have the higher percentage of participation. Urbana won the competition; however, Champaign almost doubled the number of participants from previous years. Community wide, there were over 800 people who participated with 10 bike stations set up throughout the twin cities, which provided participants with refreshments, t-shirts, maps, and tips.
Another highlight of the month was the City of Champaign being named a Bicycle Friendly Community by the League of American Bicyclists. Champaign is now one of five communities in Illinois with the Bicycle Friendly community designation. The other communities are Chicago, Urbana, Schaumberg, Naperville, and Evanston. This designation is given to communities that demonstrate a strong commitment to promoting bicycling in the community through both infrastructure and programs. A community event is being planned for July to recognize the distinction. For questions please contact the Planning Department at 403-8800.