La Crosse earns silver rating as biking community

Madison received gold, while Onalaska is bronze

A high bike rating indicates progress. That is, at least, how Lewis Kuhlman, in La Crosse city’s planning office, sees the new Silver Bicycle Friendly Community designation the city has just received from the League of American Bicyclists.

Says good things about progress in infrastructure and awareness, Kuhlman said, although it puts the city far from the top in the organization’s ratings system.

“We’d have to make it to the gold level and then platinum’s after gold and then diamond is the highest,” Kuhlman said. “So, they keep making more levels so people keep improving.”

La Crosse is one of about 70 communities nationwide to earn the silver designation. In Wisconsin, only Madison received a higher designation as a gold community. Onalaska is one of a couple hundred in the nation that received a bronze award.