Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Streetsblog.net

Which States Do the Most (and the Least) to Support Biking and Walking?

The transportation bill is upon us -- and with it came some bad news for people who want to make streets safer for biking and walking. Not only does the bill reduce the overall amount of dedicated funding for programs like Safe Routes to School, it allows states to transfer some of these funds to other uses.

Which makes advocating for safer streets at the state level all the more important. Today, Matt Wempe of the League of American Bicyclists brings us a look at how states put their funding for biking and walking to use:

The League compiled federal bike/ped funding data reported by the states from 2007-11 (the data doesn’t separate out bicycles and pedestrians). We used this data to get a better picture of which states prioritize bike/ped projects that create transportation choices, make sure kids get to school safely, reduce congestion, improve air quality, and make our streets safer for everyone.

false

If your state is on this list, now is the time to ensure it continues to dedicate resources to bicycling and walking. If your state does not appear on this list, it is more important than ever to make the case for bicycling and walking to your governor and department of transportation. We are here to help with that.

The League has posted a comprehensive spreadsheet showing how all 50 states rank on investment in safe streets. The document not only includes what each state spends from dedicated pots of money like Transportation Enhancements, but also what they spend on bike/ped using the much larger pot of flexible funds in the Surface Transportation Program. Scanning the document, the overall laggards include Texas, Michigan, South Carolina, and, surprisingly, Maryland.

Elsewhere on the Network today: Seattle Bike Blog reports on the results of a Canadian study that examined how roundabouts affect cyclist safety. Grid Chicago asks whether the city really needs to spend $45 million to build a "flyover" to move cyclists and pedestrians around congestion at Navy Pier. And Walkable Dallas Fort Worth posits that Stockton, California's recent bankruptcy may have had something to due with its reckless sprawl-based growth.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Talking Headways Podcast: Localities Subsidize the State DOT

Adie Tomer of Brookings on how to improve regional coordination around infrastructure.

July 10, 2025

Five of the Ugliest Transportation Policies In the ‘Big, Beautiful’ Bill

Here's a rundown of some of the transportation provisions in the Republicans' reconciliation package, and what they might mean for your community.

July 10, 2025

Viva La Thursday’s Headlines

Why is French transit ridership up 10 percent since before the pandemic, while American transit ridership is down 23 percent?

July 10, 2025

Wednesday’s Headlines Are Bigger and Beautiful-er

There's a lot of bad news in the Big Beautiful Bill — but it also may have helped kill a major highway expansion in Oregon.

July 9, 2025

Removing ‘Rainbow Crosswalks’ Won’t Make America’s Arterials Safer

Secretary Duffy wants to tackle dangerous arterials. So why is he coming after rainbow crosswalks most often seen on narrow city roads?

July 9, 2025

The ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ Is About Our Transportation Future, Too

Transportation didn't get a lot of mention in the public discussion of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. But it's everywhere.

July 8, 2025
See all posts