Frazee one of 460 communities to be honored

On January 28, the League of American Bicyclists honored the efforts of Frazee to build better places for people to bike with a Bronze-level Bicycle Friendly Community (BFC) status.

Frazee joins 460 communities across the country in the movement for safer streets and better bicycling for everyone. The award recognizes Frazee for its commitment to creating transportation and recreational resources that benefit its residents of all ages and abilities while encouraging healthier and more sustainable transportation choices. 

When municipalities apply for an award from the Bicycle Friendly Community program, they fill out an extensive application requiring collaboration across public agencies and with local advocates and other partners. Based on the communities’ responses, the league determines if they deserve recognition and at which award level. Most importantly, a report card with feedback from the league’s expert reviewers offers next steps that each applicant community can take to improve how well they support people who bike in the future.

“Bicycling is more than just a mode of transportation—it’s a powerful tool for building healthier communities, fostering sustainability, and connecting people,” said Bill Nesper, Executive Director of the League of American Bicyclists. 

The League of American Bicyclists’ Bicycle Friendly America program sets the standard for how communities build and benchmark progress toward making biking better. The league strives to provide continual updates to the application as part of our commitment to help communities raise their standards for safety, equity, and accessibility.

This round of awards includes 91 new and renewing awardees, joining a total of 460 current Bicycle Friendly Communities in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The Bronze BFC award recognizes Frazee’s commitment to improving conditions for all people who bike through investments in bike education programs, regular bike events that promote and encourage people to choose biking, pro-bike policies, and bike infrastructure.

“As Frazee continues to expand opportunities for those looking to experience nature, we are hopeful that by receiving the bronze level BFC award we will be able to showcase our community to a new group of bicyclists. With the area communities of Battle Lake, Detroit Lakes and Fergus Falls all being named at the bronze level also, the lakes area is truly becoming a destination location for those looking for bicycling adventures,” said Stephanie Poegel, Frazee City Administrator.

The five levels of the BFC award – diamond, platinum, gold, silver and bronze, plus an honorable mention category—provide a clear incentive for communities to continuously improve. Awarded communities must renew their status every four years to ensure that they not only maintain existing efforts, but also keep up with changing technology, national safety standards, and community-driven best practices. To learn more about the BFC program, visit www.bikeleague.org/community