For National Bike to Work Week, the League of American Bicyclists released its 2015 Bicycle Friendly State ranking. May is National Bike Month.
Eighteen states spent at least 2% of their federal funds on bicycling and walking projects over the past five years. However, 3.4% of people bike or walk to work while 11% of all travel trips are done walking or bicycling.
Top Bicycle Friendly States from League of American Bicyclists
- Washington
- Minnesota
- Delaware
- Massachusetts
- Utah
- Oregon
- Colorado
- California
- Wisconsin
- Maryland
For the eighth year in a row, Washington topped the list while Utah made the jump from #8 to #5 this year. Utah adopted a Bicycle Master Plan in 2014, setting inter-agency goals for inclusion and support of biking and walking infrastructure in transportation projects.
Massachusetts moved 6 spots to #4 in the ranking, thanks in part to a new transportation bond, which set aside more than $400 million over the next five years for biking and walking projects, Complete Streets projects and the continued implementation of MassDOT’s GreenDOT Initiative.
Pennsylvania moved up seven places from #19 to #12. The state passed Act 89 at the end of 2013, a transportation funding plan that includes $84 million in multimodal investments. A minimum of $2 million annually will be directed to biking and walking projects specifically, which will help the state implement the federal Transportation Alternatives Program.
The Bike Friendly States program is more than an annual assessment. Throughout the year, staff work actively with state officials and advocacy leaders to help identify and implement the programs, policies and campaigns that will improve conditions for bicyclists.