Dive Brief:
- Washington, Massachusetts, Oregon, California and Minnesota topped the list of “bicycle-friendly” states in a report issued Thursday by the League of American Bicyclists.
- The League ranked states on the basis of five actions it advocates every state to take, said the organization’s policy director, Ken McLeod. These are centered around bicycle infrastructure, safety, funding, planning and laws.
- Although the 2021 infrastructure law made more federal funding available for bicycle safety, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that 1,149 bicyclists died in traffic collisions in 2023.
Dive Insight:
The League report focuses on state-owned roads, which see a higher percentage of pedestrian and bicyclist deaths despite making up a relatively small percentage of all roads, McLeod said. “The data says their roadways are the deadliest roadways, and they have to be responsible for making sure that they're safe for people biking and walking,” he said.
The report judges state departments of transportation on their efforts to improve safety for bicyclists, McLeod explained. The biggest difference between the best-ranked states and those at the lower rungs is whether they have specific planning around bike safety and update their plans every 10 years, he said. As of this year, 36 states have adopted bicycle plans in the past 10 years.
Other key actions that the League emphasizes include having laws that require motorists to leave a 3-foot buffer when passing bicyclists and setting or allowing communities to set 20-mph speed limits in residential areas and business districts, McLeod said. “Slower speeds really can save lives,” he said.
The League urges state DOTs to spend at least 2% of their federal transportation funds on biking and pedestrian infrastructure, according to McLeod. While that number was met in aggregate in 2023, he said the majority of states didn’t achieve that benchmark. However, the report commends New Hampshire for being among the states with the largest ranking improvement by exceeding the 2% spending threshold. New Hampshire’s improved ranking is also credited to its new bike plan, the League said.
The report calls out Kansas for improving its ranking more than any other state and three states — Maine, Oklahoma and South Carolina — for adopting or planning to adopt their first statewide bike plans.
But McLeod noted that the high number of bicyclist deaths demands a stronger response from state transportation departments. “It's an ongoing crisis. It deserves attention,” he said.
