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Utah is the fifth most friendly state for bicycling, according to rankings released Monday by the League of American Bicyclists.
Utah improved from No. 8 last year to No. 5, thanks in part to adopting a new statewide Bicycle Master Plan.
It comes as the Utah Department of Transportation has set goals to include support and planning for bicycling and walking in all new road projects. Salt Lake City also has been adding more dedicated bicycle lanes to its streets.
The Wasatch Front Regional Council is in the process of updating its once-every-four-years regional transportation plan for 2040 and is adding bicycle paths as a third main component of planning along with highways and mass transit.
Utah is considered a top global attraction for mountain biking, including through many of its national parks and other scenic areas.
Utah now ranks behind only Washington, Minnesota, Delaware and Massachusetts for bicycle friendliness, according to the new report card.
"We have worked to support and provide world-class bicycling opportunities across our state, both for commuting to work and enjoying the natural beauty around us," Gov. Gary Herbert was quoted in a news release by the group. "As we meet the evolving demands of our state and plan for the future, amenities like this will help Utah continue to be one of the greatest places to live, work and play."
The group based its ranking on five categories: education and encouragement (where it gave Utah a perfect score of 5 out of 5), legislation and enforcement (it gave Utah a 4), policies and programs (Utah scored a 4), evaluation and planning (3) and infrastructure and funding (3).
It praised Utah for having a safe-passing law requiring cars to give bicyclists at least three feet of space when passing, and an active annual "share the road" campaign.
Utah was marked down, however, for not yet having at least 1 percent of its commuter travel by bicycle, and for lacking a statewide "complete streets" policy to include planning and space on roads for pedestrians and bicyclists.
"We're encouraged to see measurable progress and improvement in many states, including Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Utah," said league President Andy Clarke. "We hope to see continued improvements as more statewide leaders recognize and invest in the many benefits bicycling has to offer."
The group released its study as part of National Bike to Work Week.