Massachusetts Ranked Second By League of American Bicyclists
BOSTON — The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is celebrating Massachusetts being ranked second in the nation on the League of American Bicyclists' 2024 list of Bicycle Friendly States - and ranking highest above every other state in the Northeast region and along the East Coast.
The League's annual report, which ranks states, includes the categories of Infrastructure and Funding, Education and Encouragement, Legislation and Enforcement, Policies and Programs, and Evaluation and Planning. This recognition follows a recent national ranking of Massachusetts by WalletHub as the best state to live in for 2024.
"We are honored and thrilled with this recognition, which celebrates the extraordinary work of our designers, engineers, planning, and community outreach employees who are making our bicycling infrastructure more robust and our transportation network more inclusive," said Transportation Secretary and CEO Monica Tibbits-Nutt. "Bicycling offers amazing physical and mental health benefits, and it helps make the transportation sector greener and cleaner. For anyone who wants to pursue more bicycling, it is very clear that Massachusetts is an exceptional place to do it."
Massachusetts was one of the first states to adopt the Complete Streets approach to building transportation infrastructure to accommodate everyone, regardless of their mode of travel. In 2012, the Commonwealth began with the Healthy Transportation Policy directive, which requires all state-funded or designed transportation projects to increase bicycling, transit, and walking options. The number two ranking by the League of American Bicyclists is also a result of the funding established under the Shared Streets and Spaces Program, a program created by the Commonwealth in 2020, during the pandemic when members of the public were gathering and traveling on foot and by bike more frequently. Municipalities have been provided millions of dollars by the state through a grant program in recent years to create Complete Streets infrastructure in their communities.
In May of 2023, the MassTrails Team officially launched its Priority Trails Network map. Over the course of 2023, approximately 20 miles of shared use paths opened for the first time, expanding multimodal connectivity and opportunities for recreation across Massachusetts while enhancing pedestrian and cyclist safety. In addition, in 2023, MassDOT completed dozens of roadway projects that added new bike lanes, sidewalks, shared use paths, and crosswalks.
The 20 miles of shared paths that opened in 2023 were the result of completed projects, either constructed by MassDOT or jointly funded through MassTrails, along 14 different trails across Massachusetts. So far this year, 15 miles of shared paths opened across the state, further expanding multimodal connectivity.
MassDOT continues to support improvements in school zones and the expansion of shared paths and trails through programs like Safe Routes to School, Shared Streets and Spaces, Complete Streets, and MassTrails, which have all helped to prioritize investments in municipalities to create safer, multimodal travel.
Through the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Program, MassDOT continues to support safe biking and walking for elementary and middle school students. The program currently serves more than 1,180 schools in over 285 communities across the Commonwealth where projects have been funded.
Through the Shared Streets and Spaces Funding Program, MassDOT continues to provide technical and funding assistance to help Massachusetts cities and towns conceive, design and implement tactical changes to curbs, streets, on-street parking spaces and off-street parking lots. Such improvements have been shown to have a positive impact on public health, safe mobility and renewed commerce.
Through the Complete Streets Funding Program, MassDOT continues to support safe, convenient, and comfortable travel for users of all ages and abilities regardless of their mode of transportation. Grant awards from this program are used by recipient municipalities to fund local multimodal infrastructure projects that improve travel for bicyclists, pedestrians, public transit users, and individuals using other forms of transportation. Examples of project elements that can be implemented through the program include sidewalks, multimodal paths, bicycle lanes, improved street lighting, and pedestrian signalization at crosswalks or intersections.
The MassTrails Team consists of MassDOT, the Department of Conservation and Recreation and the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. MassTrails seeks to expand and connect the state's networks of off-road, shared-use pathways, and recreational trails for all users. It does this by providing matching grants, technical assistance, and resources to individuals, municipalities, Native nations, non-profits, and other public entities to design, construct, and maintain high quality Massachusetts trails.
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