What is the Bicycle Friendly Communities (BFC) Program?

The Bicycle Friendly Communities (BFC) Program is a structured initiative to help communities across Ontario assess and enhance how well they support cycling as a safe, accessible, and attractive mode of transportation and recreation for people of all ages and abilities. Originally launched by the League of American Bicyclists and brought to Ontario, and later Quebec, by the Share the Road Cycling Coalition in 2010, BFC provides a shared framework for sharing best practices and benchmarking progress.

More than just an award, BFC is a roadmap for communities which guides local governments, advocates, and residents to work together, prioritize cycling investments, and build vibrant, inclusive, bike-friendly communities.

Why It Matters — Benefits of a Bicycle Friendly Community

A community that embraces cyclists is about more than adding bike lanes — although that’s pretty important! Studies show that a community that prioritizes finding convenient and safe access for cyclists, is one that is  it healthier, safer, more equitable, and more livable. Some key benefits:

• Health & Well-being: More people riding means more physical activity, leading to improved public health, reduced chronic disease risk and improved mental health.
• Safety: With better infrastructure, education, and planning, cycling becomes safer — reducing crashes and encouraging more people to ride as an affordable, convenient option.
• Sustainable Mobility: Cycling provides an affordable, low-impact mode of transportation for daily trips and connections to transit — especially for people without cars or in lower-income communities.
• Economy: Cycling enhances liveability in neighborhoods and communities overall. It speaks to a municipality’s priorities when it comes to quality of life and as such is a mechanism for attracting jobs and investment. Research by The Coalition confirms that 3.2 million Ontarians are cycling at least weekly – finding ways to accommodate that choice honours the desire by a growing number of Ontarians to cycle more often, for reasons of affordability, health and climate.
• Tourism: People who ride bikes on vacation buy food, have travel costs, and pay for lodging. Bicycling tourists bring millions of dollars to cities and towns across the country that wouldn’t otherwise end up there. All that spending means jobs -‐-‐ and tax revenue -‐-‐ for communities.
• Environment & Climate: Increasing bike use reduces car dependence, lowers greenhouse-gas emissions, improves air quality, and supports climate goals.
• Vibrant, Connected Communities: Bike-friendly communities tend to be more connected by linking neighbourhoods, transit, schools, workplaces, and recreation. This enhances access and promotes equity.
• Quality of Life & Equity: Cycling offers mobility and freedom to more people, regardless of income, age, or ability. A BFC designation recognises efforts to make cycling accessible to all.

By becoming BFC-designated, communities publicly commit to these values — and send a clear signal that cycling is a priority.

What Makes a Bicycle Friendly Community — The “E” Framework

To assess and compare communities fairly, BFC uses the following framework of key dimensions. We’ve cited a few of the dimensions here:

• Engineering: Safe, connected, well-maintained cycling infrastructure: bike lanes, shared-use paths, secure bike parking, effective intersection design, connectivity to key destinations (transit, schools, workplaces) and places where people want to go.
• Education: Programs and campaigns that help people of all ages and abilities ride confidently — teaching skills, road awareness, safe riding, and interactions between cyclists, drivers, and pedestrians.
• Encouragement: Efforts to build a positive cycling culture: community rides, events, promotions, incentives, partnerships with schools, businesses, community groups, to make cycling attractive, encouraged and normalized
• Evaluation & Planning: Use of data, policies, plans, and regular monitoring to guide future cycling investments including cycling master plans, dedicated staff or committees, budgeting, community engagement and long-term strategy.
• Equity & Accessibility: A commitment to ensuring cycling is safe and accessible to all residents — including children, seniors, newcomers, people with disabilities, lower-income residents — not just cycling enthusiasts – but cyclists of all ages and abilities.

Communities that demonstrate strength and commitment across all these dimensions and present a balanced, comprehensive approach are best positioned to earn a BFC award.

What Being a BFC Looks Like in Real Life

BFC-designated communities vary widely in size and character, from small towns to large cities and regions too – but they all share some common traits:

• A network of safe, connected bike lanes, paths or trails linking neighbourhoods, schools, transit hubs, workplaces, and commercial areas.
• Supportive policies and plans: cycling master plans, integration of cycling in land-use planning and budgeting, dedicated staff or committees.
• Educational programs and outreach: safe-cycling classes, “Share the Road” campaigns, school-based bike safety, multi-stakeholder partnerships.
• Community-driven encouragement: events (bike weeks, group rides), bike-to-school or bike-to-work initiatives, community-based promotion of cycling.
• Measures to foster equity and accessibility: ensuring infrastructure and programs address the needs of children, older adults, newcomers, lower-income residents, and people with different abilities.

Above all, being a BFC means committing to continuous improvement: using the designation not as an endpoint, but as a milestone in an ongoing journey toward safer, more inclusive, more sustainable communities.

How the Program Works — Application, Review & Awards

Communities interested in joining BFC begin by gathering information about existing infrastructure, programs, and policies across the “E” dimensions. An application is submitted through STR’s online platform, including data and, where possible, local reviewer feedback.

Applications are evaluated by a volunteer panel of experts who assess how comprehensively the community meets the BFC criteria across all five dimensions. Successful communities are awarded, typically at Honourable Mention, Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum levels based on the breadth and depth of their commitment and achievements.

Awarded communities receive a formal designation, a digital award icon for sharing on websites and printed materials, a road sign and are listed among The Coalition’s list of recognized BFCs.

An award announcement is highlighted, in partnership with The Coalition via a news release/media outreach – both Ontario-wide and with options for each municipality to share the news locally; an announcement at Town/City or Regional Council meetings with participation from The Coalition, as a way to celebrate and recognize staff, Council and local supporters.

In addition, winners are celebrated at a yearly event at the Ontario Bike Summit, Canada’s largest cycling conference. The OBS is held in Toronto each spring.

Importantly: The BFC program and award are not a “one and done” achievement. Communities are required to re-apply in future cycles to maintain or improve their level using their previous feedback as a guide for growth.

Who Can Participate & How to Start

The BFC Program is open to any community in Ontario — large or small, urban or rural. Local governments, regional municipalities, or collective groups working with municipal support can apply. The process often involves municipal staff, cycling advocates, community groups, schools, public health, and other local stakeholders.

To begin, visit the STR BFC Apply page, download the offline application form for review, assemble a BFC application team or task force, and gather relevant data. Once the online application is complete (with optional collaborators), submit before the announced deadline.

Stay tuned for BFC webinars and information sessions hosted by The Coalition and be sure to attend the annual BFC workshop held as part of the Ontario Bike Summit. This information session highlights practical and innovative ways that your community can become more bicycle friendly.

Our Partners & Why It Works

The BFC Program in Canada is delivered through a partnership between The Coalition, and local communities. We are grateful to CAA South Central Ontario, the program’s lead sponsor for their support that helps make the program possible.

Because no two communities are the same — different sizes, geographies, resources, peoples — BFC is aligned to the needs of each community. The 5-E framework allows municipalities and regions to highlight their unique strengths, and build on what matters most locally, while still aligning with a national benchmark. This flexibility is part of what makes BFC a powerful tool for continuous improvement and long-term change.