Where does your state rank on the League of American Bicyclist’s list of Bike Friendly States?
To celebrate National Bike Month, the League released its annual list of how the states stack up when it comes to cycling, particularly in terms of legislation and policy framework. It’s not a “which roads are the prettiest to ride?” contest: This is about politics versus actual pedaling.
This year, Washington again took the win, for the eighth year in a row. "In Washington, we're focusing on connected communities and sustainable transportation, and bicycling is an important element of that multimodal system," Washington Secretary of Transportation Lynn Peterson told the League. "There's more work ahead, and this recognition tells us we're on the right path."
But the top 20 had a bit of shake up, and states are beginning to vie for that coveted top spot. Massachusetts, Utah, Pennsylvania, and Virginia all made great strides in cycling in the past year, earning bumps on the list. Massachusetts was arguably the most improved, jumping six spots to fourth. The League explains that the state's rise is related to "a new transportation bond, which set aside more than $400 million over the next five years for biking and walking projects, Complete Streets projects, and the continued implementation of MassDOT's GreenDOT Initiative."
"We are thrilled with our leap in the standings,” said MassBike's executive director Richard Fries. "But when I reviewed the checklist, I saw three boxes that we will likely check off for next year. I look forward to Massachusetts going higher on the rankings. And within five years, given what I know of what is in the works, we should be on the top."
However, Fries wasn’t ready to declare a full victory yet. "All that said, all of us, nationwide have a long, long, long way to go. Even the best states are effectively celebrating a D-plus grade. But these rankings are critical to nudging all of the states and all of the advocates to keep working at the state and local level."
The scoring system the League uses is quite scientific. It uses five ranked categories: legislation and enforcement, policies and programs, infrastructure and funding, education and encouragement, and evaluation and planning.
Of course, even states with low rankings contain bike-friendly cities. New York state was ranked 28th on the League's list, but NYC took the win in .
