According to new “bicycle friendliness” state rankings and grades just released by the League of American Bicyclists, a non-profit group that promotes the rights of cyclists, New Jersey is the fifth most bike-friendly state in the union, behind Washington, Maine, Wisconsin, and Minnesota (it’s interesting to see that all these states are certainly not what one would think of as places with bike-friendly weather). The complete list of state rankings can be found at bikeleague.org/states.
The League’s Bicycle Friendly America program evaluates not only states, but also communities, colleges, and businesses. The program is a great resource for groups to measure current conditions, to get recognion for their work and to receive hands-on assistance to create even more safe and welcoming places for cycling.
The latest round of Bicycle Friendly Communities was just released a few weeks ago, to kick off Bike Month. Until this year, the Eastern United States has had very few silver-level Bicycle Friendly Communities and no gold‐level BFCs, but that’s beginning to change. In this latest round of awards, the League of American Bicyclists gave Boston, New York City, and Washington, D.C. silver BFC designations. The cities are now competing to be the first to earn gold.
If you’re interested in submitting an application for your business, university, or community, the application deadlines are coming soon:
- Bicycle Friendly Businesses – July 8, 2011
- Bicycle Friendly University – July 22, 2011
- Bicycle Friendly Community – July 22, 2011
With gas prices hovering around $4 per gallon, there is an increased interest in bicycling, but there is much work that needs to be done to make our bicycling environment safer. An estimated 51,000 bicyclists were injured in motor vehicles crashes and 630 were killed in 2009, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The number of adults who commute to work by bike jumped 44% from 2000 to 2009, according to the Census Bureau.
If you’d like help submitting an application for your bike friendly business, college, or community, email us at rhersh@gmtma.org, we’re happy to help.