Bicycle Board,

This year, WV ranked 50th again in the LAB Bicycle Friendly State competition.  We got F's in all categories. 

Apparently, LAB gets their info from the State Bicycling coordinator.  As far as I know, that was Bill Robinson but "Bicycle Coordinator" was never his real job (he was state "Trails Coordinator") and last I heard he's not doing that anymore.  

I don't know if anything about Morgantown was considered.  (I would have expected to get the message below from Bill or maybe directly from Jeff Peel but instead, Dennis Strawn from Charleston forwarded it to me.)  I can't help but wonder what rank WV would have received if Morgantown had submitted a Bicycle Friendly Community award application last year.

The attached workbook has several worksheets.  I found the last one most interesting as it shows many $millions were available to WV but not used.  This is an opportunity that Morgantown should pursue.

Frank

From: Jeff Peel [mailto:Jeff@bikeleague.org] 
Sent: Wednesday, May 25, 2011 10:14 AM
To: Jeff Peel
Cc: Andy Clarke; Bill Nesper
Subject: Additional information on the 2011 Bicycle Friendly State ranking and grades
 
Many of you have asked to learn more about the process behind the League’s Bicycle Friendly State annual Rankings and the associated grades in each of the six categories. Please find the attached spreadsheet with each state’s ranking for the last 4 years, the 2011 ranking and category grades for each state, scores and grades per category for each state, obligation rates for key federal aid funding programs based on state DOT’s  FMIS reports to FHWA and information on each state’s contribution to the 2010 transportation rescissions authorized by Congress.
 
For some, this information should answer your questions on your state’s good or poor performance in a given area, particularly under the Infrastructure category which houses many funding related questions. For others, it may bring up new questions which the League is happy to answer, or at the very least create dialogue around. This in fact is the underlying reason for the Bicycle Friendly State program- to shine a light on the states’ role in creating a more bicycle-friendly America, and work collaboratively to improve any shortcomings.
 
Also creating some confusion is whom this process evaluates- state agencies, state bike coordinators, law enforcement, advocates or legislators. The answer is all of them, but none of them individually. Each of these groups plays a significant role in accommodating and encouraging better bicycling within a state. States that consistently perform well and rank highly have each of these groups working together. This should not be seen simply as an evaluation of a state’s bicycle coordinator despite their role in completing our questionnaire (or State DOT for that matter). These hard-working professionals are too often under-appreciated within their own departments or are the first to be cut in department down-sizing. Poor marks should draw attention to the need for further support of state coordinators, not less.
 
The generally poor grade for infrastructure (very few states got anything better than a F) is disappointing to everyone, including us at the League. The bottom line is that states didn’t have high obligation rates for core bicycle funding programs such as Transportation Enhancements and Safe Routes; they spent virtually nothing out of their STP, HSIP and CMAQ programs. Also, states sent a disproportionate percentage of TE and CMAQ funds back to Washington DC as part of the 2010 rescission. That’s not good enough, especially now. With cycling rates higher than ever and gas prices continuing to rise, states should be spending more, not less on bicycling. Despite shrinking transportation budgets, the cost-effectivenessand job creation record of bicycling projects means states can’t afford not to invest in bicycling.
 
The League is not content to just give states failing grades for poor spending records. Through our partnership with the Alliance for Biking and Walking, the Advocacy Advance program has released best practice reports on many under-utilized funding programs and will be conduction Action 2020 workshops throughout the country, training advocates, agency staff and elected leaders alike how to maximize the federal transportation dollars and the state, regional and local level. If you are interested in hosting one of these workshops, please visit AdvocacyAdvance.org for more information.
 
 
__________________________
Jeff Peel
State & Local Advocacy Coordinator
League of American Bicyclists
1612 K St. N.W., Suite #510
Washington, DC 20006
202-621-5445
 

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