Bike Month: Missouri 34th in Bicycle Friendly State rankings - What's good, what needs to be better

Missouri increased its score on the League of American Bicyclists' annual Bicycle Friendly State scorecard slightly for 2014, but dropped four spots in the ranking, from #30 to #34. 

Missouri's Bicycle Friendly State scores for 2014

The reason for the drop in ranking is simply that most other states are rapidly improving their scores on the Bicycle Friendly State ranking.  It required a three point increase in score from 2013 to 2014 just to maintain the same ranking.  Missouri rose just 0.2 points.

The good news: We're improving bicycling conditions in Missouri--and the amount of bicycling in Missouri is increasing rather dramatically.  The bad news: We are not quite keeping pace with the rapid pace of improvements for bicycling seen in other states across the country.

Your membership and support in MoBikeFed will help Missouri catch up with other states in bicycle friendliness

In recent years we have focused our efforts on two major areas: Including bicycling & walking in proposed state transportation funding and encouraging creation of statewide and local bicycle and pedestrian plans.

Guess what?  Those are the two areas shown in the scorecard as need the most improvement.

Right now, bicycling and walking are included in the proposed Missouri transportation funding plan that is likely to see a final vote in the Missouri General Assembly this week before heading to Missouri voters in November.

Capitol Day in Jefferson City

If approved, the new funding plan will change the number one issue that has been holding back progress in bicycling and walking in Missouri for a century: We can't spend state transportation dollars on biking and walking.

As we have worked on this campaign, it has become apparent to everyone that Missouri's lack of a statewide bicycle and pedestrian plan is holding back progress on several fronts.

MoDOT top leadership has now agreed in principle with the idea of creating a statewide bicycle and pedestrian plan.

If these two initiatives move forward, we could see Missouri moving up in the Bicycle Friendly State rankings again--or at least holding its own with other states across the country that are rapidly increasing their bicycle friendliness.

And let's not forget to celebrate what is Missouri doing right--because, thanks to your support of bicycling, there is p-l-e-n-t-y to celebrate!

But enough about what we need to improve--there is plenty that Missouri is doing right.

We've made HUGE progress over the past two decades in making Missouri a bicycle-friendly state, and that is reflected in our Bicycle Friendly State scoring as well.

Areas where Missouri is doing better than average--and far better than it was 5, 10, or 20 years ago include:

Legislation and enforcement  

We've had no fewer than 35 legislative victories for bicycling, walking, and trails in Missouri since MoBikeFed was founded in 1994.  Those victories have improved conditions for bicycling, walking, and trails and greatly increased the attention and respect paid to those of us who bicycle and walk. 

Policies and programs

A Complete Streets resolution was passed by the Missouri General Assembly in 2011 and numerous Missouri communities have now passed Complete Streets policies. 

One of Missouri's many Complete Streets--a rural Missouri highway

We do not yet have an 'official' binding statewide Complete Streets policy, but over half of Missouri's population is now covered by an officially adopted metropolitan area Complete Streets policy.  Our rural Regional Planning Commissions are now starting to look at Complete Streets policies and and making huge strides in incorporating bicycle and pedestrian projects in their regional transportation planning. And under Missouri's local-control system, that is the level where state funding priorities are set and decisions are made.

And under prodding and continual advocacy by MoBikeFed and our partners across the state, MoDOT's bicycle and pedestrians policies have improved incrementally, year by year, nearly every year for the past twenty years. The latest major revision of MoDOT's bicycle and pedestrian policy incorporates USDOT's language supporting for routine accommodation of bicycling and walking and amounts to a 180-degree turnaround from MoDOT's policies of just 20 years ago--which included refusing federal funds for bike/ped projects and an internal policy stating that would not build bicycle or pedestrian facilities except under extremely limited circumstances.

And let's not forget the Governor's 100 Missouri Miles Challenge--one of the leading statewide programs for encouraging biking, walking, hiking, and other healthy outdoor recreation and fitness in the U.S.

And finally--MoDOT's recently released long-range plan fully integrates bicycling and walking for the first time in Missouri history, placing these modes on equal footing with roads, highways, mass transit, and all other Missouri transportation needs.

Education and encouragement

Missouri now has very active Bike Month and Walk to School Month in communities across the state. Bike Month and Walk to School Month are officially adopted into the state holidays calendar.

We have the Governor actively promoting his 100 Missouri Miles Challenge. 

Bike Ed class for MoDOT engineers and planners

We have bicycle education courses taught regularly by organizations across the state. We have a large number of trained and active League Cycling Instructors and other bicycle education instructors.

MoDOT and its transportation planning partners hold regular training sessions for staff and contractors about best practices in bicycle and pedestrian planning and design.

We have a large number of Missouri communities, businesses, and universities engaged in the Bicycle Friendly Communities program.

Twenty years ago, Missouri had none of these things.  We are truly making tremendous progress in this area.

Missouri's progress and challenges in bicycling and walking

Thanks to support from members and supporters like you, and thanks to an active and fast-growing movement in support of bicycling and walking all across Missouri, we truly are making progress on many fronts in Missouri.

Let's take some time during Bike Month this year to think about both how far we have come in a short time, and the challenges that remain. Together we're making Missouri a better, safer place to walk and bicycle.

MoBikeFed depends on your generous membership and financial support as we continue to turn our Vision for Bicycling and Walking in Missouri into reality--including changing the century-old prohibition on spending state transportation funds on bicycling and walking, and working for statewide bicycle, pedestrian, and trails plans.