The League of American Bicyclists Announces U.S. Bicycle Friendly State Rankings
05.08.09
Washington, D.C.
The League of American Bicyclists is releasing the second annual ranking of Bicycle Friendly States, scoring the 50 states on a 75-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.
League President Andy Clarke highlighted that "several states dramatically improved their ranking by updating their traffic codes, increasing the level of funding for bicycle improvements, implementing education programs aimed at cyclists and motorists, getting organized and hosting their first statewide bicycling conferences and events."
For 2009, the top five highest scoring states ranked one through five are: Washington, 1; Wisconsin, 2; Maine, 3; Oregon, 4; and Minnesota, 5. The lowest scoring states ranked 46 through 50 are: New Mexico, 46; Alaska, 47; Oklahoma, 48; Montana, 49; and Alabama, 50. For the complete list of state rankings, visit www.bicyclefriendlystate.org.
The BFS program ranks the state annually and offers special recognition to states that apply for a BFS award. This 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 constant to accurately track progress.
The League announced the inaugural group of BFS awarded states earlier this month - Four states have been awarded the coveted designation and two states received an honorable mention - Washington (Silver), Wisconsin (Silver), Arizona (Bronze), Minnesota (Bronze), Delaware (Honorable Mention) and Maryland (Honorable Mention).
The BFS program is revolutionizing the way states evaluate their quality of life, sustainability and transportation networks, while allowing them to benchmark their progress and work toward improving their bicycle-friendliness. The rankings are used to create momentum amongst states and communities to continue to become more bicycle friendly.
"State policies and programs have a dramatic impact on the bicycle-friendliness of communities and we are thrilled to see a marked improvement since the League first ranked states last fall," stated Clarke. "This year we are also recognizing several states for their impressive initiatives to improve conditions for bicyclists, and the timing could not be better for doing that: for energy, environment, and health benefits as well as traffic improvements."
To learn more about the League's Bicycle Friendly State program, visit www.bicyclefriendlystate.org. For media inquiries, contact Meghan Cahill at 843.995.0073 or at meghan@bikeleague.org.
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