BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Washington has once more topped the list that names the best states to travel on a bicycle.
The League of American Bicyclists released their 2024 list of best states to travel on two wheels, and Washington is back to first place from previously being in third.
According to the Seattle Times, the state previously held first place in 2022.
Since getting knocked back, the League says that the state made more efforts to improve safety for cyclists.
Some of the laws Washington has in place that secured the top spot include the safe passing law, which requires the driver to give at least three feet of space from the cyclist when passing. Another is a safety stop law that allows cyclists to treat empty stop sign intersections as yielding rather than complete stops.
The Washington Department of Transportation’s slower speeds on roadways has also contributed to the high safety score.
Gov. Jay Inslee attributes a lot of the efforts to make Washington a safe place to bike towards funding from the Climate Commitment Act.
Bellingham has held a Gold Standard Bike Friendly Community title since 2006 according to the League.
Earlier this year, the city gave Holly Street a facelift in downtown Bellingham, adding a bike lane to increase the safety of riders through one of Bellingham’s busiest stretches of road.
