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Ohio is in the top third of states when it comes to bicycle friendliness, according to a report out today from the League of American Bicyclists. Melissa Griggs beams as she watches her son, Tyrone Crawford, 17, check out his new bike in this file photo from August 11, 2010. Tyrone's summer job is in the Slavic Village Development Corporation's garden, and his supervisor, Emily Miller, wrote an essay explaining how having a bike would help him get to work. The essay won Tyrone a free bicycle from Biketown.

(Lynn Ischay, The Plain Dealer)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Ohio remains 16th among the 50 states when it comes to bike-friendliness, in an annual ranking released by the League of American Bicyclists.

The non-profit organization gave Ohio high marks for "education and encouragement," and said it had improved in the "infrastructure and funding" category. It ranked less well, a score of 2 out of a possible 5, on "evaluation and planning."

"Ohio is seeing really good advocacy right now," said Ken McLeod, legal and policy specialist for the league, one of the largest biking membership groups in the country.

McLeod pointed to the work of the Ohio Bicycle Federation in getting a bill introduced in the Ohio House in April that says when a motor vehicle passes a bicycle the safe passing distance to the left is three feet.

Another bill, introduced in the Senate this month, would require that bike riders younger than 16 wear a helmet. Parents would receive a $25 fine for a first offense if their child is caught without a helmet and a $100 fine for each subsequent violation.

Melissa Thompson, the federation's Northeast Ohio coordinator, said Ohio excels at some things, such as its Safe Routes to Schools program, and lags in others, such as state funding for cycling improvements.

"In my opinion, the state Department of Transportation is a little bit shy of newer bicycle infrastructure design, such as protected bike lanes," said Thompson, who is a transportation engineer at the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency.

At the Ohio City Bicycle Co-op, focused on teaching bicycling safety, Director Jim Sheehan said there are already ways for cyclists to establish good clearance. On narrow roads where motorists can't pass without switching lanes, cyclists should bike at the distance from the curb of vehicles' right tires, to establish their lawful position on the road, he said.When roads are wider, bikers should move to the right to give cars room to get by.Motorists, meanwhile, should observe bicyclists' right to use the road.

Nonetheless, said Sheehan, "Sometimes laws are needed to help change behaviors."

The League of American Bicyclists annually ranks all 50 states on how bikeable they are. Washington, Minnesota and Delaware were in first, second and third place with the highest scores in 2015. Alabama, Kansas and Kentucky brought up the rear. (See ranking on document viewer below).

Ohio ranked 16th in 2014, too, up sharply from its 2013 ranking of 32nd.

In a "feedback category," the league points out areas where it thinks states can improve.

For Ohio the recommendations included:

Enacting a three-foot passing law. About 27 states have a requirement of at least this distance. One state, North Carolina, requires motorists to give cyclists at least two feet of clearance, which the league says is inadequate.

Adopting a statewide Complete Streets policy. In 2014, 27 states had a law, policy or executive order that embraced Complete Streets, a philosophy and design approach that requires streets to be safe, convenient and comfortable for pedestrians and bikers, as well as motorists.

Increasing penalties for motorists who injure or kill bicyclists or pedestrians. The league says model language is at

Establishing a state-wide, all-ages cell phone ban for motorists. Ohio

The praise from the league -- one of the country's oldest biking groups, founded in 1880 as the League of American Wheelman with a focus on getting roads paved -- comes as communities nationwide mark Bike Month.

The advocacy group Bike Cleveland is organizing local events. Friday is Bike to Work Day, with "energizer stations" where commuters can grab a snack and free cup of coffee on their morning commute, and after work parties at two Happy Dog locations in Cleveland. Details are here.

Bike Cleveland is also leading a push to expand Cleveland's young bike-sharing program, which has 50 Zagster bikes concentrated mostly in Ohio City, into a system with 500 to 850 bikes at 50 to 85 stations in downtown and in University Circle, by the spring of 2016.