Hilton Head becomes only 'Gold Award' bike friendly community in SC
Hilton Head Island has been named the only "Gold Award" bike friendly community in South Carolina, putting it in the League of American Bicyclists' top 25 bike friendly communities nationwide.
The league announced the new awards Wednesday morning, and Hilton Head is one of only four communities to be promoted this year, according to the announcement.
Every four years, the league awards communities with designations based on their work to promote bicycling with levels ranging from Bronze to Diamond.
The island has been honored as a Silver Award member since 2011 for its network of multi-use paths, availability of bike rentals for island tourists, the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce annual Bike & Dine Week and the Hilton Head Island Bicycle Ambassadors Program, which patrols the island's pathways to promote safety and help riders.
"I think that's a really tremendous achievement, and my hat's off to everyone who's helped put it together," Mayor David Bennett said. "You're talking top 25 locales in the nation with this. That's exactly the kind of thing Hilton Head wants to be known for and should be known for."
To further promote biking on the island, Town Council members have planned a short bike ride to their council meeting on Tuesday afternoon, town manager Steve Riley said. A start place and time for the ride will be announced this week, and the public is invited to join, he added.
More than 350 communities in all 50 states have been designated bike friendly by the league, according to the announcement.
Charleston, Columbia, Greenville, Rock Hill, Spartanburg, and Clemson University and the University of South Carolina are all Bronze Award bike friendly communities, according to the league's announcement. Another 17 Palmetto State businesses, nearly all in Greenville, have received bike friendly awards.
Follow reporter Zach Murdock on Twitter at twitter.com/IPBG_Zach and on Facebook at facebook.com/IPBGZach.
Related content:
- New Golf Bike allows pedaling for par at Hilton Head course, May 29, 2015
- Pedal for your palate during Hilton Head Bike & Dine Week, April 29, 2015
- Bike ambassadors aid Hilton Head Island tourists, make paths safer, Aug. 9, 2013
This story was originally published June 10, 2015 at 9:02 AM with the headline "Hilton Head becomes only 'Gold Award' bike friendly community in SC."