NEW ULM — The League of American Bicyclists announced the latest honorees of the Bicycle Friendly Community award on May 19, and New Ulm has again been designated a Bicycle Friendly Community at the Bronze level. New Ulm first received the designation in 2017 and communities must re-apply every four years.

“Over the years, individuals and organizations throughout our community have worked very hard to continue making our bicycling amenities and infrastructure here in New Ulm better and better for supporting safe bicycling,” said Cindy Winters, advisor for The Heart of New Ulm, which collaborated with The New Ulm Bike Group and the City of New Ulm to submit the application. “Since we first received the Bronze level designation, we’ve added additional mileage to the safe bicycling routes with more safety changes coming this summer, added three bicycle repair stations, and now have a part-time Safe Routes to School coordinator to help with improving biking for school age children.”

A Bicycle Friendly Community welcomes bicyclists by providing safe accommodations for bicycling and encouraging people to bike for transportation and recreation. Making bicycling safe and convenient are keys to improving public health, reducing traffic congestion, improving air quality and improving quality of life. New Ulm joins 31 other communities in Minnesota that have achieved the Bicycle Friendly Community designation.

More information on the Bicycle Friendly Community program is available on the League of American Bicyclists website at http://bikeleague.org/community.