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The Five E’s

The League of American Bicyclists has done a wonderful job figuring out what is needed for cities to be great. Take a look at their 5 e, posting… 

So, what Are the 5 Es?

These are Engineering, Education, Encouragement, Enforcement, and Evaluation & Planning. A community must demonstrate achievements in each of the five categories in order to be considered for an award. Communities with more significant achievements in these areas receive superior awards. Filling out the BFC application is an education in itself, as communities see where they are lacking in each of these categories.

ENGINEERING
Communities are asked about what is on the ground; what has been built to promote cycling in the community. For example, questions in this category inquire about the existence and content of a bicycle master plan, the accommodation of cyclists on public roads, and the existence of both well-designed bike lanes and multi-use paths in the community. Reviewers also look at the availability of secure bike parking and the condition and connectivity of both the off-road and on-road network.

EDUCATION
The questions in this category are designed to determine the amount of education there is available for both cyclists and motorists. Education includes teaching cyclists of all ages how to ride safely in any area for multi-use paths to congested city streets as well as teaching motorists how to share the road safely with cyclists. Some things that reviewers look at are the availability of cycling education for adults and children, the number of League Cycling Instructors in the community, and other ways that safety information is distributed to both cyclists and motorists in the community including bike maps, tip sheets, and as a part of driver’s education manuals and courses.

ENCOURAGEMENT
This category concentrates on how the community promotes and encourages bicycling. This can be done through Bike Month and Bike to Work Week events as well as producing community bike maps, route finding signage, community bike rides, commuter incentive programs, and having a Safe Routes to School program. In addition, some questions focus on other things that have been built to promote cycling or a cycling culture such as off-road facilities, BMX parks, velodromes, and the existence of both road and mountain bicycling clubs.

ENFORCEMENT
The enforcement category contains questions that measure the connections between the cycling and law enforcement communities. Questions address whether or not the law enforcement community has a liaison with the cycling community, if there are bicycle divisions of the law enforcement or public safety communities, if the community uses targeted enforcement to encourage cyclists and motorists to share the road safely, and the existence of bicycling related laws such as those requiring helmet or the use of sidepaths.

EVALUATION & PLANNING
Here the community is judged on the systems that they have in place to evaluate current programs and plan for the future. Questions are focused on measuring the amount of cycling taking place in the community, the crash and fatality rates, and ways that the community works to improve these numbers. Communities are asked about whether or not they have a bike plan, how much of it has been implemented and what the next steps for improvement are.

http://www.bikeleague.org/programs/bicyclefriendlyamerica/communities/bfc_five-Es.php

Meets APBP Guidelines: Racks fully adhere to the guidelines for bike parking as written by the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals.

 

Bike Friendly Containment: The rack captures the bikes tires in a well or cradle in such a way so that there is no wheel bending, yet the bike is secured enough to not slide or slip from its upright position.

 

Simple & Intuitive: Simple and intuitive racks exhibit few options for a cyclist to lock their bike. They offer minimal parking methods (front and back only) and minimize the possibility of securing a bike in an incorrect way that will cause unorganized or non-secure bike parking.

 

Security: The rack should be equipped with a feature (such as an arm or wing) to allow the bicycle to be locked to the rack with an external lock and a closed part of the bicycle frame, as well as offer the ability to lock the wheel, frame, and rack in unison.

 

Density: How well the rack contains and organizes large numbers of bikes in different configurations and locations while still keeping parking organized to allow cyclists sufficient access to their bikes.

 

Cost Per Bike: The approximate dollar amount an individual rack will cost in respect to how many bikes it will hold.

 

Cost Per Bike+Shipping: The approximate dollar amount an individual rack will cost in respect to how many bikes it will hold plus the cost of freight. Because different racks weigh more or less, and ship to and from different locations, the cost of freight varies and therefore can make a total purchase price more or less expensive than just averaging the cost per bike.