The 2024 Bicycle Friendly State report was just published. It includes a ranking of all 50 states, plus information about how the rankings were determined.
This year, Hawai‘i ranked 25th overall in the nation and 6th out of 13 in the US West. While this is not where we want to be on the list, we are rising. In 2019, Hawai‘i was ranked 38th and in 2022, we had risen to 27th out of 50 states.
Key Findings from the 2024 Report:
- Record Bicyclist Fatalities: Preliminary estimates indicate 1,149 bicyclists were killed in 2023, the highest number ever recorded, continuing an alarming trend.
- New Focus on Safe Speeds: The League introduced a new scoring category this year, assessing state laws that enable communities to adopt safer speed limits. Nineteen states received credit for implementing policies allowing and/or promoting 20 mph speed limits.
- Infrastructure Investment: States have spent record federal funds on biking and walking projects thanks to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. However, as a percentage of overall transportation spending, biking and walking investments did not increase much as other roadway investments.
- Every Ride Counts: The category in which states scored the lowest reveals a troubling lack of comprehensive efforts to count and understand bicycle ridership, underscoring the need for better data.