Old 07-02-08, 04:55 AM
  #3  
Torrilin
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Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Madison, WI
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The League of American Bicyclists has a certification program, with Platinum, Gold, Silver (and I presume Bronze) designations. Madison, WI is designated at Gold. Portland, OR and Davis, CA are Platinum. Very few cities really aim at the program, so there isn't even a list of 10 platinum cities in the US. And in a lot of respects, some of the criteria are a bit nutty (rather like any certification program). The gold designation is *not* hard to get, and IMO is a bare minimum for sane traffic flow. Your city can get gold, even if there are dangerous bike lane designs or bad intersection designs. The program won't protect you from that.

The LAB is not very good at disability issues, and is flat out *bad* at advocating for traffic law that is understandable for young children. To compensate for this, look at Complete Streets. It isn't very good at the details for bikes, but it's very clear on details for children, the elderly and various sorts of disabilities. Together, you end up with a design that's easier to teach and works better for all ages and abilities.

Neither program advocates for "bicycle driver's manuals" or "pedestrian manuals" from the state DOT. This is bad, since those kinds of teaching aids are very useful for all kinds of people. Most of us are a bit weak on rules of the road, so a review every few years is a good idea.
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