Community Highlights:  Norman’s current Bicycle Advisory Committee has come a long way in the past decade to reinstitute old bike lanes while also extending the network with the addition of new lanes.  There is broad support for policies and programs suggested by the Bicycle Advisory Committee and from citizens and new ideas are always encouraged.The city hired an engineering firm to design the first phase of a 10 mile multi-modal path along State Highway 9 that will connect urban Norman to rural east Norman.  Norman puts a strong emphasis on keeping cyclists safe and educating its youth.  For example, Norman’s Public Schools participate annually in the International Walk and Bike to School Day. The city adopted a three foot passing law as a city ordinance so it can be enforced at a municipal court level.  The city sponsors Safety Town classes annually during the month of June for children under the age of six.  There are numerous bike clubs and groups, including youth and beginner, all the way up to road-racing teams that offer weekly group rides and annual road races and mountain bike trail competitions.

Compelling Accomplishment: This city has begun a pilot program in a few areas of town to demonstrate the need for and use of bike lanes in the city. This first phase of adding new bike lanes is being funded for its full amount ($55,216) by the city’s capital budget. After this stage, the city plans to pursue a Complete Streets policy and continue to expand the bicycle network beyond the existing 12 miles of paved shared us path and 18 miles of singletrack.

via League of American Bicyclists * Bicycle Friendly Community Campaign.

Unfortunately, Oklahoma as a state still ranks as 43 out 50 states according to the LAB rankings.  We fail in all categories measured except for a D in Enforcement and a C in Education and Encouragement.

Tulsa was recently named one of America’s Best Bike Cities by Bicycling magazine – but when it comes to being truly bike-friendly, the city has a little farther to ride, say cyclists and transportation officials.

via Tulsa’s bike-friendliness lauded | Tulsa World.

The story also goes into many of the dangers also faced by cyclists on Oklahoma’s roads including the aggressive drivers we all know and love.

The Norman Bicycle Advisory Council hopes to combine federal funds for more bike lane striping with a local bike lane expansion project, which would include connecting south campus to the National Weather Center.

OU has a project in the works to make campus more bike-friendly, too.

The Norman campus is preparing an eight-month project, according to Jonathan Vann, UOSA Student Congress vice-chairman and Bicycle Ad Hoc Committee member. He said the project would create a bicycling route from the research campus to Jenkins Avenue and State Highway 9.

via OUDaily.com | More bike-friendly measures on horizon.

Tulsa has become the first city in Oklahoma to receive a bronze ranking from the League of American Bicyclists, designating it as a "bicycle friendly community."

Tulsa World: Tulsa being peddled as ‘bicycle friendly’

Given my bad experiences with drivers in OKC this year, I think we aren’t even close to getting something like this.  And of course, Oklahoma as a state ranks 48th in bicycle friendliness according to League of American Bicyclists.