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Ranking of Bicycle Friendly States

July 26th, 2010 4:24pm

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The League of American Bicyclists has announced our first annual ranking of Bicycle Friendly States, scoring all 50 states on more than 70 factors. The states were scored on responses to a questionnaire evaluating their commitment to bicycling and covering 6 key areas: legislation; policies and programs; infrastructure; education and encouragement; evaluation and planning; and enforcement.


The highest and lowest scoring states overall were: Top 5 1. Washington 2. Wisconsin 3. Arizona 4. Oregon 5. Minnesota Bottom 5 46. North Dakota 47. Mississippi 48. Alabama 49. Georgia 50. West Virginia More details on how each state ranked can be found by going here and clicking on each state. Andy Clarke, president of the League, said, “While every state has room to improve in making bicycling a preferred mode of transportation and accessible form of recreation, Washington is making the greatest strides to make this a reality.� Clarke points to Washington’s model bike laws, signed and mapped statewide bike route network, dedicated funding from the state for bicycle related programs and projects, and an active statewide bicycle advisory committee as a few examples of why Washington ranked the highest.


The bottom end of the ranking paints a different picture. “West Virginia may offer some great trails and mountain biking resources, but otherwise fell short in every category," said Clarke. "Their low bicycle usage rates and high cyclist crash and fatality rates are indicative of a state that does not adequately provide for the needs of cyclists.� The annual state rankings are the first part of this new program. States are encouraged to further apply for award recognition of bronze, silver, gold or platinum status, similar to the League’s popular Bicycle Friendly Community program, now recognizing 85 communities across 32 states. Award recognition will be accompanied by technical assistance and further support as states work to become more bicycle-friendly.


The League of American Bicyclists promotes bicycling for fun, fitness and transportation, and works through advocacy and education for a bicycle-friendly America. The League represents the interests of 57 million American cyclists, including its 300,000 members and affiliates.


For more information or to support the League, visit www.bikeleague.org The Bicycle Friendly State program is generously supported by program sponsors Bikes Belong and Trek Bicycle Corporation.


2008 STATE RANKINGS 1 Washington 2 Wisconsin 3 Arizona 4 Oregon 5 Minnesota 6 Maine 7 California 8 Illinois 9 New Jersey 10 New Hampshire 11 Utah 12 Michigan 13 North Carolina 14 Hawaii 15 South Carolina 16 Massachusetts 17 Vermont 18 Wyoming 19 Nevada 20 Florida 21 Iowa 22 Colorado 23 Virginia 24 Indiana 25 Kansas 26 Louisiana 27 Rhode Island 28 Missouri 29 Kentucky 30 Texas 31 Delaware 32 Ohio 33 Nebraska 34 New York 35 Maryland 36 Tennessee 37 Idaho 38 Pennsylvania 39 Arkansas 40 Alaska 41 South Dakota 42 Connecticut 43 Oklahoma 44 Montana 45 New Mexico 46 North Dakota 47 Mississippi 48 Alabama 49 Georgia 50 West Virginia


 

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