The League of American Bicyclists honored the city of Albert Lea Thursday for its efforts to build better places to bike with a bronze-level Bicycle Friendly Community award.

The award recognizes Albert Lea for its commitment to creating transportation and recreational resources that benefit residents of all ages and abilities while encouraging healthier and more sustainable transportation choices, according to a press release.

“Communities like Albert Lea and Freeborn County are leading the nation when it comes to important livability factors that people want where they call home, like safe and accessible places to bike,” said Bill Nesper, executive director of the League of American Bicyclists, in the release. “Albert Lea joins 53 new and renewing Bicycle Friendly Communities as part of a movement toward more vibrant, healthy, sustainable and connected places. Our nation and globe are facing complex public health and road safety challenges, and we’re proud that Albert Lea and communities like it are embracing bicycling.”

With the 53 new and renewing awardees, there are currently 488 Bicycle Friendly Communities in the country. The bronze award recognizes Albert Lea’s commitment to improving conditions for all people who bike through investments in bike education programs, bike events that promote and encourage people to choose biking, pro-bike policies and bike infrastructure.

Lana Howe, Statewide Health Improvement Partnership coordinator for Freeborn County, said the designation affirms the various community efforts on a national level.

“It is a great honor to be recognized for our commitment to being bicycle friendly here in the city of Albert Lea and around Freeborn County,” Howe said. “The work of our city staff, school staff, community leaders and community advocates continues to emphasize the importance of infrastructure put in and around our community to encourage biking as a mode for transportation and recreation. We also understand and educate the importance of bike safety.”

She said with a plan in place to achieve the next level, she predicts the best is yet to come for bicycling in Albert Lea and Freeborn County.

More than 850 communities have applied for recognition by the Bicycle Friendly Community program, which provides a roadmap to making biking better for communities of all shapes and sizes. While the award process considers visible elements such as bike infrastructure, it also looks at education, encouragement, evaluation and enforcement.

The five levels of the BFC award — diamond, platinum, gold, silver and bronze, plus an honorable mention category — provide incentive for communities to continuously improve. Awarded communities must renew their status every four years to ensure they not only maintain existing efforts, but also keep up with changing technology, national safety standards and community-driven best practices.