December 18, 2024 - The League of American Bicyclists has released its 2024 Bicycle Friendly State Rankings, a comprehensive evaluation of state efforts to improve conditions for bicycling. This year’s rankings shed light on significant progress in some areas, such as bike planning and safety laws, while also exposing persistent challenges, including a record number of people being killed while biking and the lack of leadership at the state level to address this traffic violence.
The Bicycle Friendly State Rankings measure state performance on the League’s five Bicycle Friendly Actions and across key categories: Infrastructure, Safety, Funding, Planning, Laws, #EveryRideCounts, and Capacity & Support. Each category reflects the policies, resources, and practices that contribute to safer and more accessible biking for everyone.
“Creating a Bicycle Friendly America for everyone starts with leadership at the state level,” said Bill Nesper, executive director of the League of American Bicyclists. “In the states at the top of the list, we see places where advocates, lawmakers, and decision makers are united in their belief that better bicycling benefits everyone. This year’s rankings celebrate the progress some states have made, but the record number of bicyclist deaths is a stark reminder that more must be done to protect people who bike.”
Key Findings from the 2024 Rankings Report
• Record Bicyclist Fatalities: Preliminary estimates indicate 1,149 bicyclists were killed in 2023, the highest number ever recorded, continuing an alarming trend. Nationwide, roads owned by state Departments of Transportation account for more bicyclist deaths than any other type of roadway owner. These roads often have higher posted speed limits than locally owned roads.
• New Focus on Safe Speeds: The League introduced a new scoring category this year, assessing state laws that enable communities to adopt safer speed limits. Nineteen states received credit for implementing policies allowing and/or promoting 20 mph speed limits.
• Infrastructure Investment: States have spent record federal funds on biking and walking projects thanks to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. However, as a percentage of overall transportation spending, biking and walking investments did not increase much as other roadway investments.
• Every Ride Counts: The category in which states scored the lowest reveals a troubling lack of comprehensive efforts to count and understand bicycle ridership, underscoring the need for better data.
Read more here.
About the League of American Bicyclists
Since 1880, the League of American Bicyclists has been people-powered, with a goal to make bicycling safer and easier as a means of transportation and recreation. Today, the League continues to improve lives and strengthen communities through bicycling. We are more than 200,000 members and supporters strong with more than 1,000 state and local advocacy groups and bike clubs as well as thousands of businesses, universities, and communities together leading the movement to create a Bicycle Friendly America for everyone.
