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| Washington Tops U.S. As Most "Bike-Friendly" State, Iowa Ranks 7th |
 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. Iowa ranked in the top ten at 7th on the list. Nebraska finished in the bottom ten at 43rd on the list. Iowa also ranked 1st in public education in regards to biking. 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." 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."
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 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 Story courtesy of Bikingbis.com
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Bicycle policy in Washington state is guided in part by two strong advocacy groups, the
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