Community Corner

Where Does VA Rank for Cyclists?

The state's policies and advocacy for cyclists earned it a No. 16 ranking from the League of American Bicyclists.

Virginia is one of the best states in the country in which to bike, according to new rankings from the League of American Bicyclists.

But it still lags behind some other states in the Mid-Atlantic region.

A combination of state policies and programs — including a state bicycle plan and a "Share the Road" campaign — and an active state bicycle advocacy group helped the state earn No. 16, behind places like Washington state, Colorado, Oregon and Massachusetts.

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Still, neighboring states fared better on the rankings list: Delaware was 5, Maryland was 11 and Pennsylvania was 15.

The League created a list of 10 signs that show progress on bikeability for states, including more than 1 percent of the commuters using bikes, a measure of success Virginia reached this year.

Find out what's happening in Restonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

But the state falls flat in several other areas of progress, including infrastructure, funding and planning.

The issue is one local bike groups like Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling have highlighted for several years.

"As the scores clearly highlight, there's much work to be done in critical areas like infrastructure and planning in every state," said Andy Clarke, president of the League of American Bicyclists, in a statement on the rankings. 

Six communities within the state—Alexandria, Arlington, Charlottesville,    Harrisonburg, Richmond and Roanoke— are recognized as bike-friendly communities by the same organization. 

Mewanwhile, Fairfax County recently applied for funding for a feasibility study into bike sharing in Reston. Read about that here.

 

 

Do you think Virginia is bike-friendly? Tell us in the comments.


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