Minn. up, Wis. down in bike friendly rankings

Wisconsin dropped from third to sixth most bike-friendly state in the nation in the annual ranking done by the League of American Bicyclists.

Wisconsin was ranked as high as No. 2 two years ago. Now Minnesota holds the No. 2 spot behind Washington, having moved up from fourth.

"From the Mississippi River Trail bikeway and DOT's supportive policies, to Nice Ride bike sharing and the Blue Skunk Polo Club, Minnesota loves bicycles," the League's BFS Report Card for Minnesota states.

As for the other upper Midwest states, Illinois held tight at No. 11 despite bicycling making gains in Chicago; Iowa dropped from sixth to 16th; and Michigan moved up from 22nd to 19th.

Not content to see Minnesota second most bike friendly state in the union, the Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota (BikeMN) has its sights set on the No. 1 spot.

BikeMN uses its blog to help Minnesota cyclists "imagine" a statewide system of interconnected bike routes, no cyclists or pedestrians killed on the roads and a Safe Routes to School program fully funded by the state.

"The league noted that fewer than 1 percent of Minnesotans commute to work by bicycle. They encouraged state leaders to develop a comprehensive enforcement strategy to ensure police have the necessary training and are actively enforcing laws meant to keep bicyclists safe," summed up the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

On the other hand, the league was particularly impressed with the state's management of more than 600 miles of paved bicycle trails and addition of about 10 miles of trail per year. For that and other reasons the national organization named Minnesota the "Best Trails State."

The reason for Wisconsin's slippage correlates with the decreasing amount the state spends on bicycling, a League staff member told Dave Schlabowske, communications director for the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin.

Schlabowske reported on the BFW blog that while Wisconsin's overall transportation budget has increased to some $6.5 billion a year, bicycling projects funding was cut by $3 million. Furthermore, Wisconsin has spent only 1.17 percent of federal money it could spend on bicycle and pedestrian projects, less than the national average of 1.74 percent.