A Bicycle Friendly Community (BFC) encourages and enables people to bike for both transportation and recreation, providing residents with a safe and connected bikeway network and vibrant bike culture. To unlock the many benefits of cycling, like improving public health, reducing traffic congestion, enhancing air quality, and raising overall quality of life, communities must make biking safe and convenient for everyone.
The League evaluates communities across Five E’s to determine their Bicycle Friendliness, with Education being core among them. Cycling education not only encourages people to ride but also equips them with the skills and confidence to do so safely. Ultimately, the more people who feel safe and comfortable biking in their community, the more residents will choose to ride for transportation and recreation.
At the community level, this starts with cycling education being a routine part of public education for kids. Specifically, the League believes that on-bike instruction should be a standard part of every student’s education, ensuring that all students are Ready to Ride.
At the highest levels, being a Gold- or Platinum-level BFC means your community has a strong school-based, on-bike education program. While there’s no single way to operate an in-school cycling program, Gold-level BFC Eugene, Oregon, offers a great example of what communities can achieve.
About Gold-Level BFC Eugene, OR
Eugene has been a Gold-rated BFC since 2009. Earning Gold again in 2024, the city continues to make strides to improve cycling safety and encouragement in each application cycle. The city aims to achieve Platinum-level status, but their Gold renewal is a noteworthy achievement in itself, considering the BFC program has grown over time to emphasize new, higher standards on topics such as youth cycling education, equity-focused planning and engagement efforts, and low-stress bike facilities.
The city’s ability to maintain a Gold-level BFC award throughout the past two decades is an impressive feat, and a Platinum award is on the horizon for this mid-sized city. Eugene has a population just shy of 180K people, with a mixed urban/suburban land classification. As of their last BFC application (2024), the city has three Bicycle Friendly Businesses (BFBs), one Gold-level Bicycle Friendly University (BFU), and 14 local League Cycling Instructors (LCIs). During the 2024 BFC application round, Eugene set the max score in Evaluation & Planning and scored in the top 5% of all applicants in the Education category.
Looking ahead, Eugene has a stated goal to triple their mode split for bike riders over the next 20 years – an impressive goal for a community with an already high mode share of 8%. An ambitious goal like this must begin with equally ambitious efforts to make bicycling a lifelong habit from an early age, which is one of many reasons the League is excited to see on-bike education occurring in classrooms across Eugene.
School-Based Cycling Education In Eugene
Beginning in 2019, Eugene and neighboring Springfield launched a major effort to expand their school-based Bike Safety education, due to the high number of students who had not acquired the necessary knowledge and skills to ride safely by the time they arrived in the existing Bike Safety Education (BSE) classes. City of Eugene Recreation staff and the school district’s Safe Routes to School team partner to provide school-based on-bike education to approximately 1,700 students annually.
The effort is multi-pronged: in two of the region’s school districts, all kindergarten and first-grade students gain balancing and pedaling skills in PE with at least four in-school sessions on bikes. Fifth through seventh-grade students (depending on school district) receive eight hours of on-bike instruction, including a community ride on their local streets. Students who make it to BSE classes without mastering pedaling receive special instruction before joining their peers on a pedal or adaptive bike for traffic safety learning and practice. All of Eugene’s Safe Routes staff are certified League Cycling Instructors, and the City’s Parks and Recreation staff who lead cycling instruction receive Smart Cycling training.
Collectively, the two school districts in Eugene own four bike fleets that are used to provide on-bike education during PE and health classes. Logistical support, like moving bike fleets between schools, is handled by City Recreation and Safe Routes staff. In addition to the in-house bike fleets, the BSE instructors work with school staff and the City of Eugene Adaptive Recreation program to assess students with disabilities and provide them with appropriate adaptive cycles, helping to ensure all students can participate. The City’s Adaptive Recreation program has a fleet of nearly 20 different types of adaptive bikes, including trikes, recumbents, balance bikes, and ellipticals.
In addition to Eugene’s robust school-based cycling education throughout the year, four community-wide, all-ages, learn-to-ride events are held across the region. The community also hosts annual learn-to-ride events specific to adults and to the Latinx community.
Funding On-Bike Education in Eugene
Eugene’s robust school-based on-bike education program has drawn funds from various local, state, and federal sources over the years. The city was able to purchase its bike fleets using local transportation funds, community grants, and state Safe Routes to School grants. Staffing and other operational expenses have been funded through regional transportation dollars flowing into the Metropolitan Planning Organization (Lane Council of Governments) — this funding comes from a regional pot of state and federal funds that partner agencies have agreed to use for the city’s bike education program before submitting applications for other projects.
Words From The Community
The League believes school-based on-bike education is a core component of a Bicycle Friendly Community. Not only does it build the next generation of safe cyclists, it engages caregivers and other adults in the community, encouraging them to get riding and make their community safer for all who cycle. But don’t take our word for it – here’s what Eugene residents had to say.
“My daughter went through the Learn to Ride program in first grade after I had tried everything at home to help her learn. By the third class, she was riding a bike all on her own! The instructors were patient, encouraging, and clearly know how to make learning fun and stress-free.”—Renee Neill, PE Teacher & Parent
“As a mom and a mayor, I love having the option to bike with my kids. It’s one of the things that makes living in Eugene great. It’s important that all kids are taught safe riding skills, and I’m proud of how the City of Eugene supports our local school districts’ “Learn to Ride” and safety education efforts with our regional Safe Routes to School program.”—Mayor Kaarin Knudson
“Bike Safety Education embodies and embraces our values as a division for the City of Eugene; it highlights freedom, education, accessibility, and equity. Providing knowledge about the laws, access to bike resources, and direct on bike education encourages students to partake in additional recreation outside of the classroom via bike and makes transportation to our programs easier for students feeling confident after the bike safety session.”—Nyles Asher, City of Eugene Recreation Division, Bike Safety Education Lead
“The Learn to Ride Bike Program is absolutely incredible! It’s truly impressive that students can go from being hesitant beginners to confident independent bike riders in just a few 30-minute PE classes. This program is a game changer for kids learning to ride a bike, and I couldn’t recommend it more highly.”—Renee Neill, PE Teacher & Parent
Conclusion
Eugene demonstrates how the Bicycle Friendly Community program and the League’s Ready to Ride campaign work hand-in-hand to create lasting change. A truly Bicycle Friendly Community doesn’t just build great infrastructure — it builds confident riders, starting in the classroom and continuing in the community. By weaving on-bike instruction into the school day, the city isn’t just teaching kids how to ride, it’s creating lifelong riders who understand how to move safely and confidently through their neighborhoods. Programs like these build trust, strengthen connections between families, schools, and city agencies, and show how investing in young people today creates safer, healthier streets for everyone tomorrow.
That’s what being a Bicycle Friendly Community is really about. It’s not one program or project; it’s a shared effort to make biking a safe, easy, and natural part of everyday life. Communities looking to follow Eugene’s lead can start by applying for Bicycle Friendly Community recognition and supporting school-based on-bike education. It’s how we grow the next generation of riders and the communities they’ll help shape.