(Washington, DC) As thousands of cyclists across the region participated in Bike to Work Day, Mayor Vincent C. Gray today accepted the Bicycle Friendly Community Award from the League of American Bicyclists. The District received a Silver level award, a step up from the Bronze award earned in 2007.

“Silver is fine, gold is better, platinum is best.” Mayor Gray said. “Let’s work to become the best in the world in terms of our bicycling program here in the District of Columbia.”

In their description of the District’s award this year, the League of American Bicyclists said: "Washington, DC first received a Bronze BFC award in 2004. Over the last seven years, it unveiled several signature projects including buffered bike lanes on Pennsylvania Avenue connecting the White House and the Capitol Building, a world‐class bike parking facility, Bikestation, and the largest public bike sharing system in the country. These major projects are supported by an extensive bicycling education and encouragement program for children and adults. Washington now has the highest share of bicycle commuters of any major city on the East Coast."

There are 46 cities at silver level or above, but only nine with populations of over 300,000. For more on the Bicycle Friendly Community program, visit www.bikeleague.org .

“We are delighted to be recognized for our hard work on bicycle transportation,” said DDOT Acting Director Terry Bellamy. “DC is a living example of the saying, ‘if you build it they will come.’ Every year we build more bike lanes and trails and bike parking and every year bicycling increases. In the last three years, we’ve seen an 80% increase in cycling on District streets. With Capital Bikeshare those numbers will continue to climb.”

Mayor Gray accepted the award at Freedom Plaza, one of 10 pit stops in the District, and 49 regionally, for Bike to Work Day. More than 11,000 cyclists registered and many commuted in convoys organized by the Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA) and Commuter Connections. This morning, DDOT staff also manned the first Bike to Work Day pit stop East of the River in Anacostia.

Also today, DDOT released a new bicycle map for the city. In addition to trails, lanes and bike routes, the redesigned map includes all the Capital Bikeshare  stations, bike shops, safety tips, and more. For a copy of the map call DDOT at (202) 673-6836. For larger orders, call goDCgo  at (202) 299-2186.

More District Bicycling Facts: