The League of American Bicyclists has named the City of Redmond a silver-level Bicycle Friendly Community.

This elevates the city from its previous bronze standing since 2003 and distinguishes Redmond as a community that provides safe accommodations for bicycling, both as a way to recreate and as a viable mode of transportation.

The Bicycle Friendly Community award process revolutionizes the way a city evaluates quality of life and its transportation system while benchmarking progress on improving the cycling environment. The application to become a Bicycle Friendly Community is rigorous and an educational tool in itself. Answering questions that focus on the five Es — engineering, education, encouragement, evaluation and planning and enforcement — each city applicant can determine where more work is needed on bicycle facilities.

The 2010 update of Redmond’s transportation master plan reflects the community’s desire for a multimodal transportation system that includes an important bicycle component.

“We are so pleased to receive the silver designation from the League of American Bicyclists,” said Redmond Mayor John Marchione. “It inspires us to continue the hard work and collaboration among elected officials, city staff and the community to provide superior accommodations in Redmond for bicycling.”

For more information about bicycling in Redmond, information is available on the city’s website. For more information about becoming a Bicycle Friendly Community, visit the League of American Bicyclists website at www.bikeleague.org.