League of American Bicyclists Ranks US States in Bike-Friendliness
In celebration of bike month and to advocate improved cycling infrastructure in America, League of American Bicyclists just released their list of US states classified by bike-friendliness. Used in ranking were the criterion – Legislation & Enforcement, Policies & Programs, Infrastructure & Funding, Education & Encouragement and Evaluation & Planning. Placing first through tenth – respectively – were Washington, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Colorado, Oregon, Wisconsin, New Jersey, Maryland, Maine, and Delaware.
Congratulating these states, LoAB wrote:
“Washington once again set a high bar in 2012. With support from the highest levels of government, the state leads the nation in creating new bicycle infrastructure and using federal funds for bicycle and pedestrian projects. In 2011, the state passed a safe passing / vulnerable user law, due in no small part to the efforts of the Cascade Bicycle Club and Bicycle Alliance of Washington, which have some of the highest advocacy capacity in the country.
Also on the right track, Colorado and Delaware rose to #4 and #10 respectively in the 2012 rankings. Colorado exemplifies many of the qualities the League looks for in a bicycle friendly state, including a bicycle commuter mode share that’s more than double the national average, a bike-friendly department of transportation, and a top-notch statewide advocacy group.”
Click ‘more’ for the full list of states…
- Washington
- Minnesota
- Massachusetts
- Colorado
- Oregon
- Wisconsin
- New Jersey
- Maryland
- Maine
- Delaware
- Illinois
- California
- Utah
- Arizona
- Pennsylvania
- Iowa
- Virginia
- Vermont
- Michigan
- Connecticut
- Florida
- New Hampshire
- Georgia
- North Carolina
- Wyoming
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Missouri
- Nevada
- Indiana
- Louisiana
- South Carolina
- Alaska
- Kansas
- Oklahoma
- Idaho
- Ohio
- Mississippi
- Rhode Island
- South Dakota
- Hawaii
- New York
- Nebraska
- Kentucky
- New Mexico
- Montana
- Alabama
- West Virginia
- North Dakota
- Arkansas
Check out the full report here.
Comments
YES! West Virginia isn’t dead last any more!!!!
Wow, I live in Arkansas…great.
I don’t know which Massachusetts they are referring to, but it’s not the one in New England. This is quite possibly the least bike-friendly place to ride in the entire US.
Hrm, always heard Florida was one of the worst. Top half isn’t too shabby..
I think these are purely political rankings. I live in Oregon, but have spent a lot of time in Washington. Oregon is a much nicer place to ride a bike, no question, but Washington has a good advocacy group and I think that is what matters to an advocacy group like the LAB(W). If you go for a bike ride in PDX and you go for a ride in Seattle, you will see a lot more bikes in PDX and a lot more accommodations as well. Get out of the biggest cities and then you see the difference. You can ride a bike in the burbs around PDX, but you need to be in an SUV to survive the Seattle burbs. Plus, if you look at Eugene, there are more ways across the river by bike than by car. No city in Washington can boast that kind of accommodations for cyclists.
@Jake Scheidewind
Me too! Are you racing any of the crits? (Liberty Bell and/or Bike Route)
50th? At least we can have the most posts complaining about being last
LOTS of politics in this ranking, and a statewide ranking overshadows some really great places within certain states. Little Rock and North Little Rock Arkansas are actually pretty friendly. There’s a thriving cycling community and lots of support from local businesses. And I used to live in MA, so I can confirm Seth’s observation that it completely blows to ride in that state.
I think Northwest Arkansas is pretty bike friendly but the rest of the state is not, which is why we got a bad rap…
CA ranked 12th? Who’d we pay off for that crazy pack of lies and BS? What a joke! Thank you LofAB–your list is a totally invalid and worthless. You could have just listed the states alphabetically and it would have been just as accurate!
Diesel, I think Los Angeles is a good reason they are twelfth. If you counted just NoCal then it probably would’ve been higher.
Clay, don’t be a hater. OR and WA are both great places for city and rural riding, on and off road. If you think your place is the best, fine, you’re biased and this is just a list.
I’ve ridden a fair amount in both states as well and I think they’re both great.
Good point Gillis. Most of SoCal blows as far as cycling is concerned. But at least not many people live or bike here. Wait…
Maryland is an awful place to ride a bike, while Arizona is really nice. This list is all sorts of wack.