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BACKGROUND The City of Pleasanton Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan recommends that the City pursue and achieve Bicycle Friendly Community status, an awards program of the League of American Bicyclists that recognizes municipalities that actively support bicycling. The application requests information about the: • community profile • engineering and maintenance policies/practices pertaining to bicycle facilities, • bicycle education and encouragement programs • bicycle enforcement policies and practices • bicycle planning policies. The completed application highlights the bicycling improvements made to date in Pleasanton, including: • Completion of the Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan in 2010 • 29 miles of existing on street bike lanes, with 23 additional miles planned • 13 miles of paved and unpaved trails, with 20 additional miles planned • Completion of the Bikeways Map in 2010 • Bicycle encouragement programs such as Bike to Work Day activities. Cities that apply for Bicycle Friendly Community status may be awarded bronze, silver, gold, or platinum status. The determination of award level is made by a committee of bicycling experts and depends on the information provided in the application and input provided by local bicycling advocates. Cities that do not achieve award status are provided feedback and recommendations to facilitate a future award. If award status is achieved, recommendations are made for further bicycling improvements. Cities receiving award status are required to provide a yearly update, and a renewal application is required every four years. As a result of the renewal process, the award status may be changed, (for example upgraded from bronze to silver or downgraded from silver to bronze). Within California, approximately 30 cities have achieved award status as of 2010. These cities include Davis, which has achieved platinum status. Within Alameda County, Oakland is the only city listed as an award recipient on the League of American Bicyclists website. Oakland has achieved bronze status. On May 23, 2011, the Pleasanton Bicycle, Pedestrian and Trails Committee reviewed the proposed application. The Committee recommended minor changes to the application and voted to forward the application to the City Council for consideration. The League of American Bicyclists requires that the application have the support of the City Council, however a resolution of the City Council is not required. DISCUSSION Recognition as a bicycle friendly community will highlight the bicycling improvements made to date and may encourage increased bicycling in Pleasanton. If award status is attained, this may attract future bicycling events to Pleasanton. The process of completing the application has provided an opportunity to work with local bicycle advocates, assess the status of bicycling in Pleasanton, and identify areas needing Page 2 of 3