Massachusetts Ranked #1 in 2022 Bicycle Friendly State Report Card
Press Release | Massachusetts Department of Transportation | April 19, 2022
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) and Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs are pleased to announce the League of American Bicyclists has ranked Massachusetts number 1 in the country in the organization’s 2022 Bicycle Friendly State Report Card released today. The League gives Massachusetts the grade of “A” in the categories: Infrastructure & Funding, Education & Encouragement, and Policies & Programs: Policies & Programs: https://bikeleague.org/content/new-2022-bicycle-friendly-states-rankings-massachusetts.
“Investing in recreational and shared use pathways not only provides connections for people to exercise, relax, or commute, but they also foster a sense of stewardship and a shared stake in our parklands, open spaces and trails,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “We are grateful to the League of American Bicyclists for this recognition and will continue to work with our partners at the local level to build upon this important progress.”
“It has been a pleasure to work with municipal leaders in the last several years to improve our trail networks and roadways to promote bicycling as a way to travel,” said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito. “Partnerships with city and town leaders, bicycle advocates and non-profit groups have enabled us to expand and connect the Commonwealth’s networks of on-road and off-road shared use pathways, bike lanes and recreational trails.”
“We are pleased the League has recognized how far Massachusetts has come since 2015 with creating bicycle infrastructure, increasing funding for capital projects, educating the public about bicycling and integrating multimodal policies and approaches with the work we do at MassDOT,” said Transportation Secretary and CEO Jamey Tesler. “In particular, we are proud of how we have worked with municipal leaders to increase bicycle travel, especially due to the launch of the Shared Streets & Spaces Funding Program in 2020, which has helped people safely travel and which has given local businesses a boost as they pivoted to doing business differently during the pandemic.”
“Since coming into office, the Baker-Polito Administration has taken a hands-on approach to increasing access to our natural and recreational resources through the expansion of Massachusetts’ network of trails, shared-use paths, and bike lanes,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Kathleen Theoharides. “In addition to providing a healthy opportunity to get outdoors, increasing safe biking opportunities is an important part of the commonwealth’s climate friendly transportation strategy.”
The League’s 2022 Bicycle Friendly State Report Card cites several bicycle friendly actions taken in Massachusetts, including implementation of a Complete Streets policy, implementation of a state-wide bike plan, the expenditure of 2% or more of federal funds on bicycle/pedestrian needs, and an emphasis on bicycle safety.
To read the full press release, click here