Massachusetts Tops List of Bike-Friendly States

By CHARLENE ARSENAULT

According to the League of American Bicyclists, Massachusetts has eight bike-friendly communities, 33 bike-friendly businesses and two bike-friendly universities.

On Tuesday, it ranked the state fourth in the national as a Bicycle Friendly State, with Massachusetts only trailing the top-rated Washington, Minnesota and Delaware, for having many bike initiatives.

“This is a tremendous recognition of our collective efforts and the many initiatives in place throughout the Commonwealth which have contributed to our current status as the 4th friendliest bicycle state,” said Stephanie Pollack, MassDOT secretary and CEO, in a statement. “This has been a great team effort and I want to commend all of our partners in regional and municipal government, and in the bicycling advocacy community for their efforts. And of course, thank you to our many bicyclists across the state who continue to choose bicycling as both a means of transportation and recreation.”

The announcement coincides with Bay State Bike Week, which is a partnership between the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), MassBike, and MassRIDES.

The first statewide bicycling event in the nation began on May 9 this year and continues through May 17 in an effort to showcase bicycling across the Commonwealth as a fun, healthy, and active travel option, said the announcement.

The Commonwealth is embracing the Complete Streets model through projects and programs that support bicycling and pedestrian initiatives to make our streets safer, more livable, and more economically vibrant. MassDOT has also mandated that all roadway and bridge projects must include bicycle and pedestrian components where applicable, said the release.

MassDOT’s GreenDOT policy calls for the promotion of a comprehensive environmental responsibility to incorporate sustainability into all of its activities, from strategic planning to project design and construction to system operation. As a sustainable mode, bicycling is a major area of emphasis within the policy.

To learn more about Bay State Bike Week visit here.

Photo via League of American Bicyclists