The League of American Bicyclists recently released their 2024 rankings of bike-friendly states, and the results were once again a mixed bag for Kansas and Missouri. Kansas improved its ranking from 30th to 21st (the largest improvement of any state in the country), while Missouri fell further behind from 45th to 49th.
Click here for the state report card on Kansas. Click here for the state report card on Missouri.
The reports are part of a broader trend we’re seeing in terms of active transportation between the two states, one in which Kansas is making noticeable strides and Missouri continues to slip further behind. This builds upon elements we saw with the previous rankings in 2022 as well as findings from our comparative analysis of each state’s Vulnerable Road User Safety Assessments.
The League of American Bicyclists made key recommendations for both states to take to improve their rankings and better serve people who walk and bike in their states:
Kansas – Adopt a statewide Complete Streets Policy: Despite the tangible improvements happening in the Sunflower State, there is one element still missing. Kansas remains one of 14 states that doesn’t have some sort of Complete Streets policy. “Complete Streets” is the idea that we should build a transportation system that serves the needs of everyone, regardless of their preferred mode of transportation. By extension, a Complete Streets policy sets the parameters by which a jurisdiction works to make that idea a reality.
When Kansas updated its active transportation plan in 2023, one of the recommendations related to Complete Streets. More specifically, the plan recommends that state leaders “Develop, adopt, and implement a KDOT Complete Streets Program that applies to new construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation, and resurfacing of existing KDOT roadways, city linkages, and local roads.” BikeWalkKC will work with our partners across the state to push for this policy to become a reality.
Missouri – Develop and adopt a statewide Active Transportation Plan: While there are several items that brought down Missouri’s ranking further with regards to bike friendliness, one element stood out the most. As of 2024, Missouri is one of only five states that has never adopted a statewide active transportation plan. This is particularly alarming because as the League of American Bicyclists points out, “Since 2015, when the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began reporting traffic deaths based on the agency that owns the roadway, a majority of bicyclists killed in Missouri were killed on roads owned by [MoDOT], including over 90% of bicyclists killed in rural areas.
BikeWalkKC, in conjunction with our partners from Missourians for Responsible Transportation, have been working to raise this issue with staff at MoDOT and urge them to take action. Planned updates to both the state’s Long Range Transportation Plan as well as the Vulnerable Road User Safety Assessment will provide additional opportunities to get this recommendation on MoDOT’s official documents. The appointment of Ed Hassinger as the new MoDOT director also creates an opportunity to raise this issue with key decision makers. Over the course of 2025, we will continue to urge MoDOT to finally begin taking action on this critical issue.
* * *
The Bike-Friendly State rankings from the League of American Bicyclists provide a snapshot of where each state is at in terms of supporting the needs of vulnerable road users, while also providing guidance on how they can improve. Kansas and Missouri present increasingly stark pictures of what this can look like. While Kansas is making clear improvements, it is never too late for Missouri to turn things around and take real steps towards creating a system that better supports the needs of people who bike, walk, roll, and use public transportation.