Silicon Valley Becomes More Bike-Friendly

Silicon Valley just got a little more bike-friendly.Every year, the League of American Bicyclists updates its list of Bicycle Friendly Businesses (BFBs) and this year three Silicon Valley businesses moved up in rank!There are platinum, gold, silver, and bronze BFBs. Click here for a detailed breakdown of the levels. In essence, the rankings are based on how many of the “Five E’s” the business is fulfilling. According to the LAB website, “Each Bicycle Friendly America program is built around five categories — known as the Five E’s — that are consistent in making great places for bicycling. These categories are Engineering, Education, Encouragement, Enforcement, and Evaluation & Planning.”LinkedIn in Sunnyvale went from a Gold BFB to a Platinum BFB. SAP Labs in Palo Alto and First Community Housing in San Jose moved from Silver to Gold. Congratulations to our local BFBs!“Research has long shown that bicycle-friendly workplaces lower staff health care costs, boost employee satisfaction and loyalty and attract Gen Y and Gen Z talent and customers known to direct their dollars and skills to companies aligned with their personal values around social responsibility,” says League Executive Director Bill Nesper.It's true—being a BFB can boost business in addition to helping the environment and encouraging healthy activity among employees and clients. SVBC intern Clay Volino recently updated our Bikes Mean Business factsheet. Did you know that after a protected bike lane was installed on 9th Avenue in New York City, local businesses on this street saw a 49% increase in retail sales, compared to a 3% increase for businesses throughout the city?We can’t wait to see more businesses in our community become bike-friendly.To apply for Bicycle Friendly Business recognition, click here.For more information on all of this year’s awardees, click here.