During the past year, nonprofit group Adventure Cycling joined state and federal transportation officials to create a designated U.S. Bikeway System that will rival the great cycling networks of Europe, Crankmail reports in October 2006.
Building from the nation’s existing bicycle routes and trails, the group drafted a map with a nation-wide corridor of potential bike routes. They envision a spider’s web of cycling routes that will crisscross the nation and connect every major metro area. Link to more information.
National Bike Highway
fleutz Says:If we keep building massive Highways why aren't bikes included in their constructing well that's easy oil companies build gas stations right next to them. We are NO MONEY TO THEM because we run on Power Bars.
farther faster
Susan Miller Says:Sounds to me like a farther faster issue. On the same quantity of biomass (because now we are discussing using food for fuel) how much farther and how much faster can an individual go in a car vs. on a bike. We've got the hurry up and wait syndrome. Sometimes we need cars. But it does seem this thing has gotten out of hand. It would be interesting to do the study... Ohio City to Lorain on a bike, in a car -- on average how many power bars, how much time? I am assuming you break those power bars down into their constituent caloric/fuel combusting components. Gotta love that TV commercial that shows a highway with no cars, just cyclists.
Cycling transportation policy needed
Marc Lefkowitz Says:I think you're on to something, fluetz, when we look at fuel as the driving force behind transportation policy in the U.S. With all the serious discussion of oil independence, bikes can play a major role in reducing our oil demand.
What we need is better transportation policy both at the federal and state level to pave the way for bike facilities every time we build a new road or repave an existing one. Cycling advocacy groups like Thunderhead Alliance and Rails-to-Trails are working on the federal legislation. Oregon passed legislation that requires new bike paths when highways or state roads are built. They recognized that their coast is a major 'eco-tourism' attraction and designated Rt. 101 at a bike highway with 300 miles of shouldered bikeway. It sounds like the efforts in Lorain County to connect with Ashland and Mohican state park are part of this national bike highway system. I wonder if Ohio can see the light the same way Oregon did back in 1971? Maybe the answer is in reforming the state's gas tax policy to pay for multi-modal projects like Ohio's recreation corridor...