Mass. Ranked Among The Most Bike-Friendly States

NATICK, MA — At least five bicyclists have been hit and killed on roads in Massachusetts in 2019, according to the state's Vision Zero Coalition, including a bicyclist who died on Nov. 6 in Ipswich. But that figure is much lower than other recent years, and it's part of the reason why the state has been ranked among the best for bicyclists in the nation.

In new rankings published this week, the League of American Bicyclists has rated Massachusetts the No. 5 best state for bikes in the U.S. Washington got the No. 1 spot, followed by Oregon, Minnesota, and California.

The ratings come after a particularly deadly year for bikers across the nation. More bicyclists were killed on U.S. roads in 2018 than any year since 1990. Six bicyclists died in Massachusetts in 2018 — but that's down from 10 deaths each in 2017 and 2016.

Massachusetts got high marks for MassDOT's new bicycle plan, which was released in May. The state is also making decent investments in bicycle infrastructure, according to the report card, with $60 million budgeted to complete missing links, $203 million for shared-use paths, and $50 million for complete streets plans.

Massachusetts earned the lowest marks for legislation protecting bicyclists and pedestrians. The state does not have a safe-passing law that would require drivers to give bicyclists at least 3 feet of clearance, for example.

• You can read the full Massachusetts report card from the League of American Bicyclists.
• You can read about bicycle and pedestrian fatalities and injuries from the Massachusetts Vision Zero Coalition.