Washington state is most “bicycle friendly”

The League of American Bicyclists has ranked all 50 states on 70 different factors and determined that the state of Washington is the most bicycle friendly.

Others in the top 5 are Wisconsin, Arizona, Oregon and Minnesota, in that order.

The least friendly — West Virginia.

In releasing the bicycle friendly state list, the League president Andy Clarke cited:

“…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 scoring covered  legislation, policies and programs, infrastructure, education and encouragement, evaluation and planning, and enforcement.

Much of that can be reviewed at the Washington Department of Transportation's Biking in Washington website. You'll find information on bike commuting, the state's bicycle and pedestrian plan, Safe Routes to Schools, Recreation and Touring, Events, and other topics.

Here's a link to the Washington State Bike Map and the statewide bicycle advisory committee.

North Dakota, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and West Virginia comprised the bottom five, in that order.

I'm surprised at Georgia's low rank (49th), considering its high profile among cyclists from the Tour de Georgia and the popular annual Bicycle Ride Across Georgia (BRAG). It should at least be ahead of Mississippi.

Check the League's Bicycle Friendly America website for an explanation of your state's ranking.

Here's the list reprinted from the League (no trees died in the digital duplication of this list):

1 Washington
2 Wisconsin
3 Arizona
4 Oregon
5 Minnesota
6 Maine
7 California
8 Illinois
9 New Jersey
10 New Hampshire
11 Utah
12 Michigan
13 North Carolina
14 Hawaii
15 South Carolina
16 Massachusetts
17 Vermont
18 Wyoming
19 Nevada
20 Florida
21 Iowa
22 Colorado
23 Virginia
24 Indiana
25 Kansas
26 Louisiana
27 Rhode Island
28 Missouri
29 Kentucky
30 Texas
31 Delaware
32 Ohio
33 Nebraska
34 New York
35 Maryland
36 Tennessee
37 Idaho
38 Pennsylvania
39 Arkansas
40 Alaska
41 South Dakota
42 Connecticut
43 Oklahoma
44 Montana
45 New Mexico
46 North Dakota
47 Mississippi
48 Alabama
49 Georgia
50 West Virginia