Bicycle riders, Washington State is the place to ride.

Riding a bicycle. When I was a kid, riding a bicycle was my ticket to going anywhere that I wanted. There was a glorious freedom to the whole thing. When I went to college, I got a bicycle and that took me around campus in a timely manner. 

When I left school, I pretty much put the bicycle away. As an adult, pretty much the only bicycle riding I've done is of the stationary variety. (I know my motorcycle doesn't count.) Over the years, Washington state's infrastructure has become much more bicycle friendly. 

For some reason I've always thought of Oregon as being the bicycle friendly leader. I think that's just because of the stereotype that's created by Portland. Now we are discovering that Washington State is actually number 1 in the category of most bicycle friendly. 

According to SeattleTimes.com,
‘After slipping to third the last go around in 2022 — behind Massachusetts and Oregon — a series of investments and new policies put Washington over the top. Criteria for the ranking changes some every cycle, but it generally looks at each state’s traffic laws, planning, education and infrastructure. “We’re No. 1 again. Yea!” said Vicky Clarke, deputy director of Cascade Bicycle Club, who acknowledged that the list is more about recognition than anything else.’ 

So, back in 2022, the Washington State Legislature passed a transportation bill that penciled out at about 17 billion dollars and that bill included about 1.7 billion in what they called “active transportation” which included bicycles and pedestrians. 

For those of you that love to ride bicycles, this is great news. I'm not in that category, but I feel good for you.  

One of my buddies here at work, John, is an avid bicyclist. His idea of fun on a Saturday is to jump on his bicycle and ride from Wenatchee to the top of Bluett pass and back. He also really enjoys riding the mountain trails surrounding the Wenatchee Valley. When the weather is decent, he rides his bicycle to work and back every day. 

Keep Washington bicycle friendly, and as you're driving, watch out for those bicyclists. Give them lots of room. 

WA back on top of national ranking of best bike states | The Seattle Times
Bicycle Friendly America | League of American Bicyclists
WA loses ground in bike ranking, despite new state investments | The Seattle Times