Despite very little improvement over 2013, Washington State was able to hang on to the top spot on the League of American Bicyclists’ annual list of bike-friendly states. The state scored 66.8 out of 100 points, effectively unchanged from 2013’s 66.2 score.

UPDATE: Governor Jay Inslee hailed the news in a press release announcing his proclamation of May as Bike Month.

“As a bike rider I get to see firsthand all that Washington has done to make bicycling part of a sustainable transportation system,” said Gov. Inslee. “Bicycling helps make healthy communities, healthy people and a rich quality of life.  There’s always more to do, but being named the most bike friendly state shows we are moving on the right path.”

See full press release at the bottom of this post.

The state’s marks for “infrastructure and funding” was already Washington’s lowest point, but the 2014 rank found that the state is now doing even worse. It now gets only 2 points out of 5 in that category.

But Washington gets very strong marks for education, legislation and policies, and those scores are enough to keep it at the top of the nation’s list.

But perhaps not for too long. Minnesota is now giving Washington a run for its money, scoring 62 points compared to 56.6 last year. And since the bar is so low, they might not have to try very hard to take the lead next year if Washington does not step up its game.

According to the Alliance for Biking & Walking’s 2014 Benchmarking Report, Washington State’s annual budget dedicates only $4.19 per resident to walking and biking projects combined. Of the Federal transportation funds Washington receives, only 3.2 percent goes to biking and walking projects. That figure includes bike/walk elements of other roads projects.

If the state is able to pass a transportation funding package that includes strong support for biking and walking, Washington will likely secure its top spot for years to come.

Below is the state-to-state ranking list: (more…)