The League of American Bicyclists released the new Bicycle Friendly State rankings last week, and Texas has moved up to #30 from #33 in 2014.
BikeTexas is happy that Texas has improved its ranking after last year’s disappointing tumble. TxDOT is working on a number of activities to support bicycling in Texas, such as a bicycle safety manual and a statewide inventory of bicycle infrastructure. However, we still lack dedicated state-level funding for bicycling infrastructure, and the flexible portion of federal bike/ped money being transferred into a general fund every year. We believe Texas has the potential to be a top-20 state, but we have a long road to get there.
Meanwhile, many Texas cities have made amazing leaps forward in recent years to become better places to ride a bike. Trail networks, bike share programs, on-street bicycle networks, and safety ordinances at the city level are making their way across Texas as more and more cities understand that bicycles mean business.
With the right level of hard work, Texas will continue to improve on its way to becoming a great place to ride a bike.
Photo: The cover of TxDOT’s new Bicycling Guide