Despite a rise in bicycling by residents, Wisconsin has dedicated disappointingly low amounts of funding and resources to bike infrastructure.
Writing in the Sun Prairie Star, Kirsten Finn of the Wisconsin Bike Federation decries the state’s low ranking in the League of American Bicyclists list of Bicycle Friendly States, which fell from number two to number 29 after the state repealed its Complete Streets policy. “Wisconsin currently ranks 49th out of 50 states in the amount of money we spend on biking and walking at just 85 cents per capita, Finn writes.
Finn recommends a few actions the state can take to improve its rankings and make roads safer for bicycling, such as investing more in bike infrastructure, updating the state’s expired bike plan, improving the condition of trails and access to a comprehensive, statewide network of trails, and recommitting to a statewide Complete Streets policy.
The Complete Streets policy was repealed in 2015 due to concerns about cost. But Finn argues that “streets built with the needs of all users in mind are a proactive investment in public health and safety and in the $2.52 billion-dollar economic engine that is Wisconsin’s cycling industry.”
“Cycling is good for Wisconsinites, and good for Wisconsin’s economy. The University of Wisconsin 2019 study concludes that cycling contributes over $2.52 billion dollars to our economy each year.”
FULL STORY: Wisconsin's Bicycle report card: Needs significant improvement
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