The League of American Bicyclists has ranked Indiana 37th on its annual list of bicycle friendly states as part of Bike to Work Week. The League looked at five categories to determine the rankings: legislation and enforcement, policies and programs, infrastructure and funding, education and encouragement and education and planning.

The top five states on the list for “bikeability” were Washington, Minnesota, Delaware, Massachusetts and Utah. Alabama came in last. Indiana has ranked as high as 19 and as low as 42 over the past seven years. Full details of the rankings can be found at bikeleague.org/content/ranking.

The League also compiles lists of bicycle friendly communities and universities. Bloomington received the highest community level in the state, earning a gold status. Carmel, Columbus, Fort Wayne, Goshen, Indianapolis, South Bend and Warsaw/Winona Lake all received bronze status. Indiana University was the only institution in the state to be awarded bicycle friendly university status.

The League considers what it calls “The 5 E’s” when determining whether a community or college is bicycle friendly:

• Engineering – creating safe and convenient places to ride and park;
• Education – giving people of all ages and abilities the skills and confidence to ride;
• Encouragement – creating a strong bike culture that welcomes and celebrates biking;
• Enforcement – ensuring safe roads for all users;
• Evaluation and planning – planning for bicycling as a safe and viable transportation option.

Source: WANE