Iowa climbs to 6th in Bicycle Friendly States ranking

The Bicycle Friendly State program from the League of American Bicyclists has again ranked all 50 states on their bike-friendliness. Iowa has ranked 6th for 2011 with an overall grade of B. The rankings are based on overall scores to the ranking questionnaire that was sent to each state’s DOT Bike Coordinator. Iowa was previously ranked 8th in 2010.

In the specific categories Iowa ranked:
D in Legislation
C in Policies & Programs
C in Infrastructure
A in Education & Encouragement
F in Evaluation & Planning
A in Enforcement

"There is a lot of work that needs to be done," says Mark Wyatt, executive director of the Iowa Bicycle Coalition. "We have been talking about reform of our bicycle laws in the state legislature for several years. We are lagging behind the efforts in the other states. We need to pass a 3' passing distance law among other provisions to reduce injuries and fatalities for bicyclists. These laws have been successfully working in neighboring states."

The Iowa Bicycle Coalition continues to work to keep Iowa in a top 10 ranking. "It is time to break into the top 5, and compete to be the most bicycle friendly state," Wyatt says.