NJ has been making great strides toward bike-ability in recent years, and was recently ranked 8th in the nation for bicyclists according to the American Bicyclists. It was New Jersey’s best showing in the three years the group has released its annual Bicycle Friendly State rankings.

The award is well deserved looking at recent progress by both the state and advocates, including NJDOT’s adoption of a Complete Streets Policy, the first New Jersey Bicycle Summit, a surge in community bike groups in cities like Asbury Park, Montclair, Newark, South Orange / Maplewood, and  Trenton, and the launch of NJ’s first statewide bike advocacy organization, the NJ Bicycle Coalition. WalkBikeJersey’s Andy B has more details of how New Jersey has supported biking in recent years.

While the state is progressing, there is still much room for improvement. The League of American Bicyclists points to education and enforcement as weaknesses. In the education category, New Jersey tied for 31st with Oklahoma and South Carolina – states with significantly lower population density and fewer cyclists. While the state has some education programs for children like the NJ Bike School, the ranking points to the state’s lack of adult education and adult-oriented materials.

The ranking also makes one cognizant of the lack of safe cycling routes in the United States. New Jersey ranked third in the country for infrastructure investment, and while the state is certainly making progress, it has a ways to go before it is a bicycling utopia.