Washington is the No. 1 Bicycle Friendly State in 2010

For the third year in a row, the League of American Bicyclists has ranked Washington state at the top of its list of Bicycle Friendly States.

That's quite an honor for bicycle advocates and state officials in the Emerald State, which has led the list ever since it was conceived in 2008.

Wisconsin and Maine follow in 2nd and 3rd place, according to the rankings announced Wednesday. Oregon dropped for the first time from 4th to 5th, supplanted by Minnesota.

Alabama held a firm grip on last place for the second year in a row. Other bottom feeders were New Mexico (46), West Virginia (47), Montana (48) and North Dakota (49).

In announcing the rankings, League president Andy Clarke said that states and statewide bicycle advocates are using the rankings program “to target legislative changes, adopt new policies and even start new advocacy groups in order to improve conditions for cyclists.”

Washington

Kathleen Davis, director of Washington State Department of Transportation Highways and Local Programs Division said:

“Being recognized as a leader for three years in a row reflects the strong partnerships that have been forged over the years, as well as the smart investments that have been made at the local, regional and state level. In Washington, bicycling plays an important role in our overall transportation system, giving people choices for commuting and recreation.”

Bicycle policy in Washington state is guided in part by two strong advocacy groups, the Bicycle Alliance of Washington and the Seattle-based Cascade Bicycle Club, the nation's largest. There are active bicycling groups in many other areas of the state, including Spokane, Walla Walla, Olympia, Bremerton, Port Townsend, Bellingham and Everett.

Washington state was cited for actively promoting the Commute Trip Reduction plan and bike tourism through the state. Further, the transportation department works with other state agencies in developing the Active Community Environments Initiative (ACES) that promotes bicycling and walking. The state also completed the State Bicycle Facilities and Pedestrian Walkways Plan and conducts an annual statewide bicycling count.

The state Department of Transportation maintains a Bicycling in Washington website. This BikingBis.com website also has a lot of links about bike rides in Washington in the right column.

Questionnaire

The Bicycle Friendly State rankings are based responses to a 95-item questionnaire that evaluates legislation, policies and progream, infrastructure, education and encouragement, evaluation and planning, and enforcement. Staff members at the League then offer suggestions on how states can improve their rankings in the future.

Tennessee showed the greatest one-year improvement, rising 19 spots from 43rd to 24th overall. A state official attributed its improvement to better collaboration among the state transportation department and other agencies.

The leading state in each category was:

Legislation — California

Policies and Programs — Maryland

Infrastructure — Maine

Education — Iowa

Evaluation — Massachusetts

Enforcement — Iowa

Special awards

The League also bestowed special designation awards on six states for promoting bicycling through model policies. They are Oregon (Silver), Delaware (Bronze), New Jersey (Bronze), Massachusetts (Honorable mention), Florida (Honorable mention) and Maryland (Honorable mention).

Previously, Washington and Wisconsin received silver awards and Arizona and Minnesota received bronzes.

2010 Bicycle Friendly States

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