Here’s some good news on the first day of National Bike Month: Washington leads the nation as the most bike-friendly state!
This is the sixth straight year Washington has topped the ranking determined by The League of American Bicyclists.
Why do we top the list? Washingtonians embrace 9 of the top ten “signs of success,” which include practices like dedicating state dollars to bike programs, having a statewide bike program and executing a share-the-road campaign, the report said. The state is also among the top 10 for congestion mitigation and air quality spending (see our state's report card).
Washington missed the mark for the tenth sign of success—people commuting by bikes, a practice embraced by less than 1 percent of the population, according to the report. The league recommended the state work to “determine barriers that people face when bicycling and implement a comprehensive strategy to increase ridership.”
The league reviews data from the states' Department of Transportation to determine the annual ranking. Each state is given up to 5 points in five different categories.
Washington earned 5 points for legislation and enforcement, 4 for policies and programs, and 3 points for each of the remaining three categories: infrastructure and funding, education and encouragement, and evaluation and planning.
Trailing the Evergreen state are, in order, Colorado, Oregon, Minnesota, and Delaware.
North Dakota is the least-friendly state for bicyclists, followed by Alabama and New Mexico.
