Trek: Is Your State Bicycle Friendly?

A little over a year ago Trek introduced 1 World 2 Wheels—Trek’s advocacy commitment to make the world a more bicycle friendly place. As part of that commitment, Trek pledged $1 million over three years to the League of American Bicyclists’ “Bicycle Friendly America” program. To date Trek has given over $300,000 to the League, which has in turn used this funding to expand the “Bicycle Friendly America” program, including issuing its first-annual ranking of bicycle-friendly states. More important than each states ranking, this report provides a base-line for the League to:

• Provide a roadmap for state advocacy groups and agencies to follow to improve conditions for bicyclists;
• Document how many states have certain policies and practices that others can follow;
• Compile and disseminate best practices;
• Benchmark states against each other.
  

So how did your state rank? Read the League’s press release below to find out.

The League of American Bicyclists has announced its 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 six 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’s 1 World 2 Wheels commitment.