As a part of their Bicycle Friendly America program, the League of American Bicyclists has released the 2011 rankings for all 50 states and issued awards to those that chose to apply for further recognition. Due to the hard work of MassDOT, MassBike, and other advocates, Massachusetts has moved up from 16th place to 9th, and been awarded Bronze status. We congratulate the Patrick Administration and Transportation Secretary Jeff Mullan for their commitment to bicycling.

Three Massachusetts cities have also been recognized as Bicycle Friendly Communities (BFC) by the League: Boston (Silver), Northampton (Bronze) and Somerville (Bronze). The mayors of all three cities, Thomas Menino, Clare Higgins, and Joseph Curtatone, are all good friends to bicyclists and see bicycling as part of the solution to many issues faced by their communities. These are the first cities in Massachusetts to be recognized by the League's current BFC program. Cambridge was recognized in 1998 under an earlier version of the program, and continues its tradition of innovation to support bicycling. As more Massachusetts communities continue improving their bike facilities and programs we expect to see this list grow.

MassBike has played a prominent role in the emergence of Massachusetts as a bike-friendly state. The 2009 Bicyclist Safety Act, collaboration with the MBTA to improve bike access, and our ongoing Building For Bicycling campaign are just a few examples of how we have helped make the roads safer and the ride nicer.

Congratulations to all, and keep up the good work!