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How Does Your State Rank in Bicycle Friendliness?
To coincide with Bike to Work Week, the League of American Bicyclists is excited to announce our third annual Bicycle Friendly State (BFS) rankings. “We are delighted to report that states, and statewide bicycle advocates, are using this program to target legislative changes, adopt new policies and even start new advocacy groups in order to improve conditions for cyclists,” said Andy Clarke, League President. “Change at the state level is harder to see than in a community or business, but is no less important – and we are seeing real progress.”
At the top of the list are:
1. Washington
2. Wisconsin
3. Maine
4. Minnesota
5. Oregon
“Being recognized as a leader for three years in a row reflects the strong partnerships that have been forged over the years, as well as the smart investments that have been made at the local, regional and state level,” said Kathleen Davis, Director, WSDOT Highways & Local Programs Division. “In Washington, bicycling plays an important role in our overall transportation system, giving people choices for commuting and recreation.” This marks the third year in a row that Washington has finished first in the ranking, and the second year Alabama has come in last.
The lowest scoring states ranked 46 through 50 are:
46. New Mexico
47. West Virginia
48. Montana
49. North Dakota
50. Alabama
Tennessee is one of the states that greatly improved its ranking – they jumped 19 spots in one year! The state moved to 24th place this year from their 43rd ranking in 2009. “The improvement in Tennessee’s ranking is due in large part to the better collaboration among TDOT, regional and municipal planners, legislators, advocates, and sharing of information across the state,” said Tom Evans, Founder and Secretary/Treasurer of Bike Walk Tennessee.
The League also is announcing the second round of Bicycle Friendly State awards, modeled after the successful Bicycle Friendly Community designation program. Four new states have been awarded the special designation, and two states received an honorable mention – Oregon (Silver), Delaware (Bronze), New Jersey (Bronze), Massachusetts (Honorable Mention), Florida (Honorable Mention) and Maryland (Honorable Mention).
The BFS program links the League’s work with federal level and community advocacy throughout the nation and recognizes states that actively support bicycling. The state rankings were first conducted in 2008 and are conducted annually, with all questions and methodology remaining consistent to track states’ progress. The BFS rankings are based on a 95-item questionnaire that evaluates a state’s commitment to bicycling and covers six key areas: legislation, policies and programs, infrastructure, education and encouragement, evaluation and planning, and enforcement.
To learn more about the League’s Bicycle Friendly State program, view the 2010 BFS Ranking List, and to see breakdown of how each state fared in the six ranking categories, visit bicyclefriendlystate.org.
Meghan Cahill
League Director of Communications
Cahill joined the League in December 2008 and has a BA in Media Communications with a concentration in Italian Studies from the College of Charleston.
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May 19th, 2010 at 4:46 pm
Woo Hoo!
New Jersey moves up to #8! Watch out Oregon. We’re comin’ for you next.
May 20th, 2010 at 11:30 am
[...] to the League of American Bicyclists, Arizona is less bike friendly than last [...]
May 20th, 2010 at 1:46 pm
[...] The League of American Bicyclists announces their ranking of bike-friendly states; California is dropping like a rock (pdf), having fallen from 7th in 2008 to 14th in 2009 to 19th [...]
May 21st, 2010 at 7:46 am
This is a great report, but I think it should include DC. Besides being a great place to bike, how DC rates greatly affects many Maryland and Virgina riders.
May 24th, 2010 at 2:09 pm
[...] League of American Bicyclists have released their 2010 rankings of U.S. states based on their bicycle [...]
May 25th, 2010 at 2:36 am
I cannot understand how Maine ranks 3rd. Portland and Brunswick are great places to bike but the rest of the state is filled with bad roads on which loads of bad drivers and logging trucks. Try riding in Lewiston/Auburn and then see how you like Maine riding.
May 25th, 2010 at 9:36 am
I don’t know how Florida came out at number 12. Yes, we have a lot of trails. Yes, we have an active Bike Florida Group. However, the drivers here are awful if you have to ride on the roads.
May 26th, 2010 at 11:28 am
I don’t understand why North Dakota had such a low rating. I have participated in CANDISC—North Dakota’s 400 mile bike tour for 8 years. The people and most drivers whave always been very friendly. The roads are good but you do have to look out for tractors and farm implements.
Recently a friend of mine biked from Florida to California. The worst roads were those in Louisiana. This corresponds with my own experience
May 30th, 2010 at 11:12 am
Grove City, Ohio sucks! No city planning whatsoever. Just fat folks, restaurants, and that’s it. God save the Queen…
June 6th, 2010 at 2:21 pm
[...] the League of American Bicyclists ranked states according to bicycle friendliness, Alabama scored dead last. Birmingham in particular was listed as one of the worst cities for cycling by Bicyclist Magazine. [...]
June 12th, 2010 at 6:44 pm
Don’t let the ranking for TN fool you. I was just in a law suit regarding unsafe grates in TN where I was rather seriously injured with a grate which ran parallel to the road instead of perpendicular. The result was that the judge, and the state lawyer especially stated that the state was not at fault in any way despite their “long range goal” stating that they realized that the grates that run parrallel to the road are a bike hazard. When push came to shove. They don’t want to take any responsibility even to warn people of the potential hazard which they called a “slim” hazard!
June 12th, 2010 at 6:46 pm
Also in this same town I was told by a police officer on his overhead speaker to “get off the road” and he was the only car around! I say don’t lie! Don’t say you are going to be a bike friendly state when you make no effort to follow through!
July 25th, 2010 at 2:33 pm
Every city should be bycicle friendly. We need machines like heavy tractors for farm work and cars for long distance travels but for city “walks” like home-work-home travel the bicycle is ideal. The concept of if you live so far from work that you can’t go by bike then move close’ is a good concept.