Bicycle Haywood NC and Haywood County both received top awards from a national planning organization for their bicycle advocacy work.

The creation of Haywood County’s Comprehensive Bicycle Plan and Health Impact Assessment helped Bicycle Haywood clinch top honors in the “Comprehensive Planning, Multijurisdictional or Regional Project” category from the North Carolina Chapter of the American Planning Association .

The methods used to develop the Bicycle Plan included several innovative efforts to identify the bicycling needs for the rugged mountain environment in Haywood County and to establish a countywide framework for implementation of a connected bicycle system linking the county’s four towns, its natural areas, the Blue Ridge Parkway, and adjacent counties.

Bicycle Haywood NC for its initiative in formed ways to organize and pay for a countywide bicycle plan without monetary contributions from local governments and for paid attention to all levels of cycling ability and its emphasis on the health and economic benefits of cycling.