WFHB Bloomington Community Radio
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The City of Bloomington is now a Bronze Walk Friendly Community, an award given by The Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center for its walkability initiatives and programs.
A walk-friendly community, according to the program, represents a town or city improving pedestrian safety and walkability through programming, planning, and policies.
Vince Caristo, Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator, says Bloomington was awarded for its great urban trail system and walk-friendly zoning ordinance.
“While not all of our intersections are accessible, our percentage is quite high compared to around the country,”Cariso says.
Bloomington is one of eight communities recognized in the latest round of the program, and the first community to receive the designation in Indiana.
“I think we’ve found that communities in Indiana and across the country have a healthy competition with each other when it comes to these types of awards,” Cariso says, “Bloomington was also the first to have a Complete Streets policy, and that paved the way for other communities to do the same. We can be a resource for other communities who want to do this and also raise awareness that things like this exist.”
The Walk Friendly Community program aims to encourage towns and cities around the country to prioritize a safer walking environment.
