The Town of Guilford’s Safe Streets Task Force (SSTF) is launching a partnership with the League of American Bicyclists (LOAB) to assist in implementing new, bike-friendly additions to local businesses. The effort is part of the SSTF’s mission to make Guilford an even more-adaptive municipality when it comes to bicycles.

According to Safe Streets board member Jim Bussmann, businesses can be a significant factor in helping to promote more accessibility for both employees and patrons.

“The overarching theme is really building a bicycle friendly America program. It provides recognition and guidance for states, communities, universities, and businesses on how to become more bicycle friendly,” said Bussmann. “We feel the initial way to do that is through a business bicycle friendly program. It’s good for employees and...the communities where it is implemented. You receive a Bicycle Friendly certification and, through that certification, it recognizes the business for its efforts.”

Bussmann said there are several steps that companies can take in order to achieve that goal, and he emphasizes the benefits of doing so.

“There are basically five elements to being bicycle friendly. They look at engineering, education, encouragement, and evaluation and then equity and inclusion,” said Bussmann. “Some of the highlights and benefits include recruitment and being able to retain the best and the brightest. It increases morale and quality for life for employees. It fosters a sense of community and enhances health and wellness, and it reduces absenteeism, as well, along with a sense of wellness.”

According to the LOAB, engineering involves installing “secure, convenient, and high-quality bike parking for employees and patrons,” while education consists of instruction on basic bike safety and how individuals can transfer from a vehicle to a bike for commutes or tasks, encouragement involves incentives for businesses to adopt more bike-centric initiatives, and evaluation in helping businesses increase ridership and setting achievable goals.

According to Bussmann, anyone interested should contact him to find out how to apply and what the various programs entail. There are more than 1,600 businesses in the country that are part of the LOAB program, said Bussmann.

“Folks can contact me directly. They can reach out, and we can find out how we can help them become a bicycle friendly business and some of the attributes of being such a business,” said Bussmann. “This benefits not only the business, but the community and the employees, and there are incentives for this, as well, including tax breaks for businesses that qualify.”

Bussmann said the goal of Safe Streets Guilford is simple: to provide safer roads for pedestrians and bikers.

“We are already a bicycle friendly community in many regards. Mainly, via our Safe Streets group, but there are also state bike routes through Guilford and road races. Guilford itself is a destination for bicyclists from all over,” said Bussmann. “The roads are less crowded and a great ride, and our goal for Safe Streets is to create a network of safer roads to ride on and connecting sidewalks—and that has been happening—but ultimately, the more people we have on bicycles, the more acceptable it will be for other people to think, ‘You know what? I can do that very same thing. I can ride to the grocery store.’”

“The more people out on the roads, the safer they all will feel,” Bussmann continued. “We want kids to ride to school safely and to have parents feel comfortable with that. Ultimately, we want to make our streets safe for everybody to ride on. And programs like the Bike Friendly Business are great opportunities to help us, as a town, achieve that.”

Businesses wishing to file an application or to find out more information can visit Safe Streets Guilford at www.guilfordsafestreets.org, contact Bussman directly at jjbuss.jb@gmail.com, or contact SSTF member Dreux Beirne at dbeirne@snet.net.