About the Benchmarking City Survey

The Bicycling and Walking Benchmarking Project was created in 2007 by the Alliance for Biking & Walking and has reported survey data for all 50 states and the 50 largest US cities every other year since 2010. 

This year, the League of American Bicyclists has undertaken data collection for the 6th edition of the Benchmarking Report. Because 48 of the 50 largest cities already participate in the Bicycle Friendly Community program and there is substantial overlap between the BFC application and the Benchmarking Survey, we have merged the forms to the greatest extent possible.  

To simplify data collection for cities that participate in the Benchmarking Project, we have created three categories of the Bicycle Friendly Community application.  When you begin a Bicycle Friendly Community application, you will be presented with the following three application categories to choose from:

1. Bicycle Friendly Community application only (preview application in Word)
2. Bicycle Friendly Community application & Benchmarking City Survey (preview application + survey in Word)
3. Benchmarking City Survey only (preview survey in Word)

Which Application Category is Right for My Community?

1. Most communities will only want to apply for the Bicycle Friendly Community award, and should select the first option. If your community is not listed here, or has not been contacted separately by League staff about participating in the Benchmarking City Survey this year, please select the first "Bicycle Friendly Community Application Only" category.  Your application will be evaluated for consideration for the Bicycle Friendly Community award, and you will receive a BFC Report Card in response to your application, regardless of award outcome. You will not see the Benchmarking City Survey-specific questions as part of your BFC application.  Once again, we recommend that communities that have not been contacted separately about the Benchmarking Report choose the first "Bicycle Friendly Community Application Only" category.

2. If you want to be considered for a Bicycle Friendly Community award (either as a new applicant or to renew or improve your existing BFC award level) AND provide data to be included in the 2018 Benchmarking Report*, please select the "Bicycle Friendly Community application and Benchmarking City Survey" category. Your full BFC application will be reviewed for consideration for the Bicycle Friendly Community award, and you will receive a BFC Report Card in response to your application. The supplementary Benchmarking Report Survey questions will not impact your BFC award standing, but those responses are required to have your community's data included in the next Benchmarking Report. 

3. If your community only wishes to submit information for the 2018 Benchmarking Report*, please select the "Benchmarking City Survey Only" category. The questionnaire will be much shorter, as you will only see a small selection of BFC questions that are used on the Benchmarking Report, in addition to a brief page of Benchmarking-only questions at the end of your survey. if you select the third option, your community will not be considered for a Bicycle Friendly Community award, and you will not receive a BFC Report Card in response to your survey responses. Existing Bicycle Friendly Communities that are not up for renewal soon can select this option. 

*Please note: While we hope that merging the BFC program application with the Benchmarking survey will enable an expansion of the Benchmarking Report to include all 400+ BFC program participants, if your community is not one of the 50 communities that has been involved in the Benchmarking Report in the past we cannot commit to including your data in the 6th edition of the Benchmarking Report.