FDOT Media Release
July 3, 2020
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) announced Florida has been named the 10th most Bicycle Friendly State in America by the League of American Bicyclists for 2019. Florida ranked first in the Infrastructure and Funding category reflecting a strong statewide commitment to building a safe bicycle infrastructure using state and federal funds.
“This ranking is a testament to the Florida Department of Transportation’s continued commitment to providing a safe transportation system for all road users in the state of Florida,” said FDOT Secretary Kevin J. Thibault, P.E. “FDOT is proud to receive this recognition from the League of American Bicyclists.”
The rankings are based on five categories on the League of American Bicyclist Friendly Action Plan of Complete Streets. States are graded on categories such as Infrastructure and Funding, Education and Encouragement, Legislation and Enforcement, Policies and Programs, and Evaluation and Planning. The program is structured around a ranking of all 50 states based upon publicly available data and a survey completed by state Departments of Transportation and/or state bicycle advocacy organizations. In 2015, Florida ranked 24th and, in 2017, Florida ranked 15th.
FDOT had implemented the Vision Zero Florida which is a plan to reduce and ultimately eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries in the State. This plan is in line with the Complete Streets Policy and Program’s Bicycle Friendly State report card. Florida continues to move the needle forward in this category.
This national recognition is in line with Florida’s commitment to spend $100 million on street lighting for people biking and walking to improve safety.
The Bicycle Friendly State program was launched in 2008 to better understand state efforts related to bicycling and provide a comparative framework that allows states to easily identify areas of improvement.