For the sixth year in a row, Washington has been named the nation's most
bicycle-friendly state. Colorado and Oregon came in second and third on the
yearly list that gives national bragging rights and is closely followed by the
cycling community.
The rankings are bestowed by the League of American Bicyclists. Begun in 2008,
they are based on funding for biking legislation, bike programs and policies,
infrastructure, education and planning.
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee attributes his state's standing to embracing biking
as a "form of transportation that enhances our quality of life and honors our
environment."
Biking is so mainstream in Washington that the state's secretary of
transportation Lynn Peterson is an avid cyclist who plans to compete in the
annual 200-mile Seattle-to-Portland ride in July.
This year, Colorado was second, continuing a steady climb from fourth last year
and 12th in 2011.
Asked how a state known for mountains and snow managed the feat, Dan Grunig,
executive director of the advocacy group Bicycle Colorado in Denver, said
"there's no such thing as bad weather, just bad choice in clothing."
Besides, he added, most people in Colorado live on the Front Range, the area
east of the foothills of the Rockies. So it's not so much mountains as high
desert. Which "is actually a fantastic place to ride year-round," Grunig said.
Oregon got third place this year. "We made it into the medals finally," said
Sheila Lyons, the state's pedestrian and bicycle program manager in Salem.
Portland is known as one of the most bicycle-friendly cities in the country, but
the entire state is really a cycling paradise, and the state is seeing serious
money come in from it now.
A study being released soon found that biking is a $400million industry in
Oregon, "and I think we're at the very bottom rung of that potential," Lyons
said.
Minnesota fell in this year's ranking from second to fourth place. "That's not
because they did anything wrong, it's because Colorado and Oregon both stepped
up and improved their performance," said Andy Clarke, president of the
133-year-old League.
