Ranking of States' Bike Friendliness

[kfergos]

The League of American Bicyclists has released a listing of how bike-friendly each state is. The top and bottom rankings:

Top 5

1. Washington
2. Wisconsin
3. Arizona
4. Oregon
5. Minnesota

Bottom 5

46. North Dakota
47. Mississippi
48. Alabama
49. Georgia
50. West Virginia

They also provide an explanation for each ranking in a somewhat cool interactive map.

[sundial]

I'm impressed that Arkansas didn't rank in the lowest 5. This state does not accommodate road cyclists with good roads or traffic.

[PscyclePath]

I'm impressed that Arkansas didn't rank in the lowest 5. This state does not accommodate road cyclists with good roads or traffic.

The questionnaires were all filled out online by the state bicycle coordinators, based on a pretty generic outline. I helped out a little with ours in several of the areas, since Bud is fairly new...

Arkansas ranked 39th, which is a lot higher than I would have expected. Most of our points came from the fact that there are no statewide laws that restrict cyclists' rights or activities, and in that we've quadrupled the number of LCIs we have in the past calendar year, as well as gotten busy with teaching the BikeEd courses here and there.

There were no question regarding road-raged cagers or road surface quality.

Having ridden a lot in Georgia, I didn't think they were all that bad, and maybe a little more enlightened than back here at home. But the League was apparently looking elsewhere.

The next round of questionnaires is supposed to get tougher, though...

Tom

[sundial]

There were no question regarding road-raged cagers or road surface quality.

You know what's interesting is that when I looked at touring maps for cyclists there were few, if any, roads recommended in Arkansas. But if your are a mtb'er, you have some really nice trails to enjoy. Syllamo Trail in Mountain View is ranked in the top 10 nationally.

[TrekTheKaty]

Missouri finished 28th. Tied for 1st in enforcement, but 42nd in infrastructure. I guess that means if I get hit on a crappy road, they'll write the crazy driver a ticket!

Thanks to MoBikeFed for being out there and improving our ranking! Keep up the good work!

[Thorn]

As a Wisconsin-ite, I find the ranking both surprising and not so surprising. Areas of the state are extremely bike friendly, we have a lot of paved rural roads and a very active bike federation that has made new and existing roads better for cycling.

As a resident of the metro-Milwaukee area, however, it is surprising. Were the stats to be gathered today would we fare so well? This summer we've had 4 hit and run fatalities in the 5-county area. Obviously, that midwestern politeness is wearing off.

[pardes]

How sad that the "First State," Delaware came in 31st in the rankings. Delaware IS more bike-friendly than it used to be but we have a long way to go yet.

Caesar Rodney made his famous ride from Dover to Philadelphia in order to sign the Declaration of Independence. It took him a very long time for the ride through rainstorms and fighting his ilness of disfiguring face cancer.

Given the horrible state of some of the roads for bikes in Delaware, it would be a long and death-defying ride to do the same trip by bike.

I'm surprised that the local bicycle advocates haven't staged a repeat of Rodney's ride to advertise the need for safer roads for bikes.

Hmmmmmm........(the wheels are turning......)

[OakLeaf]

I'm surprised that the local bicycle advocates haven't staged a repeat of Rodney's ride to advertise the need for safer roads for bikes.

Hmmmmmm........(the wheels are turning......)

Wow, that's a great idea, Pardes.

... are you turning into a (gasp) COMMUNITY ORGANIZER?

[mods: okay okay I'll stop]

[pardes]

Wow, that's a great idea, Pardes.

... are you turning into a (gasp) COMMUNITY ORGANIZER?

[mods: okay okay I'll stop]

Oakleaf--Well thanks to "The 5 Minute Manager" idea of handling an idea immediately, I have already sent an email volunteering this idea to the Delaware Bicycle Council.

It's the baby boomer hippie in me. I can see it now.....everyone dressed in "Pale Rider" costumes like Rodney.....film at 11.

Tahoey, I remember Jack in the Box! Where is a good clown head now to talk into now.....sigh.....

Becky, I'd be happy if I could get a safer way to cross the interstate on 273 so I could more easily get to University Plaza to do grocery shopping. Every car attempts to flatten you on a bike as they take the right lane to get onto I-95. I haven't been brave enough to try it yet so I go the long way round via Churchman's road whic has its own problems on the narrow bridge crossing I-95. I have a video in the works now on that subject titled "Road Kill."

[roadie gal]

I don't know how they can do those rankings. It's so variable from community to community.

[Becky]

Becky, I'd be happy if I could get a safer way to cross the interstate on 273 so I could more easily get to University Plaza to do grocery shopping. Every car attempts to flatten you on a bike as they take the right lane to get onto I-95. I haven't been brave enough to try it yet so I go the long way round via Churchman's road whic has its own problems on the narrow bridge crossing I-95. I have a video in the works now on that subject titled "Road Kill."

Staring at the ADC map, the only thing I see that looks promising is Chapman Road via Salem Church Road. I sure as heck wouldn't use 273, at least not near that interchange. PM me with a better idea of where you're coming from, and I might have some other ideas....though it's been awhile since we've lived in Newark.are concerned.

Which bridge over 95? The one near DelTech Stanton?

BTW, I wouldn't rely on the DelDOT bike maps...we just got our new ones and, IMHO, they've taken a step backwards.

[Becky]

Truthfully, I don't really understand how they calculated Delaware's score (or any of the others, for that matter). The rumble strip thing just confuses me, seeing as none of "my" roads have them, and DE has had a 0.08 BAC level for a few years now. How old is this data?

That said, 31 sounds about right to me. I would love to share my ride to work with our gubernatorial candidates. I think that it would open some eyes...it certainly did when we escorted our division director to work via bike.

[TahoeDirtGirl]

Pardes I'll do it with you. As long as I don't have to ride down Rt 13 or 40, I'll be okay. Hmmm...or 141 or the Kirkwood Hwy. There used to be a Jack in the Box on Kirkwood Hwy across from Prices Corner, but I digress. I remember talking into the clown head. Ah...the good ol days...

[kfergos]

Thinking about this more and reading your comments, it occurs to me that it would be interesting to have CYCLISTS rate their state, say on a scale of 1 to 10, on biking quality factors:

1. Road quality (paving, cleanliness/debris, shoulder width)
2. Driver behavior & education re: cycling
3. Cycling amenities (bike lanes, stoplights that recognize cyclists, etc.)
4. Quality of bike paths (bathroom/water stops at regular intervals, quality of paving, width, debris, maintenance)
5. What else? What other factors contribute to your thinking of a ride as good rather than bad?

Factoring that in with what the LAB people looked at might give a more accurate overall bike friendliness rating. Then again, all states can't be in the bottom five, even though most of us probably feel our state belongs there!

[OakLeaf]

I was astounded to see Florida ranked in the top half.

It appears the rankings may have been largely bestowed based on attitudes expressed in legislation and government initiatives, without any regard to what it's actually like to cycle in those states.