APL Rides Again as a Bicycle Friendly Business

The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, is again being recognized as a Bicycle Friendly Business (BFB) by the League of American Bicyclists, which announced on July 9 that the Lab has renewed its Silver Award.

For many years, the APL Cycling Club has advocated for on-campus bike parking, showers and locker rooms, as well as sponsoring an annual Bike to Work Day. Members also sponsor cycling information sessions for staff members, promote community rides and advocate for cycling safety at the local level.

“You should take great pride in the bike-friendly workplace you have created for your employees and visitors,” said Amelia Neptune, director of the league’s Bicycle Friendly America Program in a letter announcing the award.

APL’s Silver Award earns it a place alongside more than 1,400 businesses across the country contributing to the movement to build a more bicycle friendly America. The Laboratory joins 75 other new and renewing BFBs in the League’s Spring 2020 round of business awards, including government agencies, Fortune 500 companies, bike shops and other employers across industries, all united in a commitment to transform American workplaces to be more welcoming to customers and employees who bike.

“We are really thankful to see the Lab’s ongoing support for bicycles in transportation and recreation since our last award four years ago,” said Fran Horan, of the APL Cycling club. “The number of campus bikes, bike parking availability and new shower locations have all increased over this period. More recently, the pandemic has increased participation in bicycling across the country for many reasons, and has led to an unusual bike shortage. It will be interesting to see if there is also a long-term increase in bicycle use at the Lab and in the surrounding community.”

“We know more people are biking during the pandemic, and we anticipate more Americans will rely on biking to work as a safe, socially distant method of transportation as employees go back to work,” said Bill Nesper, executive director of the League of American Bicyclists. “Thanks to the leadership of organizations like APL, more people will have the opportunity to choose to bike.”

To learn more about the BFB program, visit the League online. To learn more about the APL Cycling Club, visit their webpage at https://www.aplcycling.club/.