The League created a impressive document that provides a comprehensive analysis of the effort of states to build strong and bicycle infrastructure.
It’s missing something.
The League of American Bicyclists issued mixed reports for its annual ranking of bicycle-friendly states. The reports shows that while states are making changes to increase bicycling infrastructure and are more often viewing bicycling as a contributor to making communities safer, more people were killed biking in 2018 than in 1990.
This news is disappointing but states are seeing the benefits of bicycling and have begun to invest time and resources into making critical improvements. For example, state legislatures are more committed to funding to improvements, eight statewide bike plans have been adopted since 2017 and nine are currently in progress; and more state and local data is new available for both biking and walking.
The League produced a comprehensive set of reports that examines the bicycling by state. The District is not ranked because it is not considered a state, apparently.
That is really disappointing.
The League report shows the progress and perils regarding increasing bicycling modeshare – as well as other modes like walking – in the United States. District of Columbia’s successes and challenges should be recognized in state rankings. As a consolation prize, the League, headquartered in the DC, recognizes the District as a gold level bicycle friendly community – a distinction bestowed to only 34 communities in the country.
Yes, the District is “not officially” a state. Some will pummel this site with a copy of the Constitution. Still, the District – its 700,000 resident and over a million daily visitors – conducts a myriad of state, special district, and city functions, such as maintaining a Department of Transportation (DDOT) and a bicycle program.
In many state-level ranking, like those for housing affordability, income, education, heathcare, etc. the District’s efforts have viewed in the context of states. Yet, the District is exuded from this level of analysis and consideration.
The District also contains passionate and successful bicycle advocacy groups that include the Washington Area Bicyclist Association. It has an executive and legislature that invests in bicycling and have made substantial improvements to bike infrastructure since 1990 and especially over the last 10 years. That government progress has been politically challenged, needlessly complicated, painfully slow in some cases but has happened and should be recognized.
Should the District government and DDOT do more to encourage biking, reduce automobile use, and promote healthy and environmentally-friendly alternative modes? Certainly. Should it be ranked with other states? Certainly.
Importantly, we have people who daily get to where they want to be by walking and biking. They do this alone, with their friends, their partners, and their families. Some bike each day regardless of the weather, some just bike weekends using the District’s trail system.
Some of these people were injured moving about by bike or by foot and live with crash-related pain and challenges. Some people have made the ultimate sacrifice and have been killed. They leave an enormous gap in their families and in our community. These losses and contributions should be recognized.
The collective effort of residents and contributors – rich, poor, people of color, men, women, children, youth, elders, physically challenged, gay, trans, bi, straight republican and democrat, advocate and government – have built a community that recognizes the benefits of biking and walking.
Although we have successes, we have much more to do to make the District’s transportation infrastructure safe for all who use it – to build a bicycle network that is not just ranked nationally but internationally. For all that we’ve done and can do bicycling in the District should be ranked like other states – we have earned that right.