This month the League of American Bicyclists released its 2014 Bicycle Friendly State ranking. For the seventh year in a row the state of Washington has lead the nation, but is closely followed by Minnesota and Wisconsin, as Utah and California have moved up in the top 10.
“We’re excited and encouraged to see real progress in states like California, Minnesota and Utah,” said League President Andy Clarke. “Overall, we still see a lot of opportunity to realize the huge potential of bicycling to promote health, economic development, and quality of life in all 50 states.”
The League noted that California jumped 10 spots to number in the ranking, thanks to notable progress in legislation, funding and policy that will make it easier to build bike lanes and mandate drivers give cyclists three-feet of space when they pass.
“Better bikeways depend on two things: the right designs and enough funding to build them. California is getting better on both fronts,” said Dave Snyder, executive director of the California Bicycle Coalition. “Caltrans has been updating its design manuals — in fact it just endorsed the NACTO Urban Bikeways Design Guide — and spending on biking and walking increased by 30% over 2012 levels.”
Utah also made a move up the ranks, declaring 2013 the “Year of the Bike” and making good on that promise with wide collaboration among advocates and agencies and the passage of key legislation, including a measure that would increase penalties for motorists who injure or kill bicyclists.
“The willingness to collaborate by state and local agencies is fostering improvements at a record pace in all areas of the state,” said Evelyn Tuddenham, the state’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator. “In the past three years, Utah has improved conditions and built programs that address active transportation, as state and local government staff and leaders have joined with advocates to share ideas, solve problems and move efforts forward.”