Sunday, April 25, 2010
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood on NPR
On the NPR program All Things Considered (A National Network Of Bike Trails? It Could Happen), Secretary LaHood continues to stress the need for better bike facilities in the U.S. He's a cyclist who regularly gets out on his bike: "My wife and I have our bikes in Washington and on the weekend, sometimes both days, we are on the C&O Canal and we see thousands not hundreds of people out on bikes. My wife and I appreciate being able to get out on bikes." From the NPR website:
LaHood is also floating the idea of a nationwide interstate biking system - the two-wheel equivalent of Eisenhower's highway system.
Some advocates for drivers and truckers are worried that this new focus on biking could divert resources from roads. But LaHood says the Department of Transportation isn't looking to take away anyone’s turf - just to provide alternatives.
"We know that 90 percent of the people aren't going to be cycling to work," he says. "But that opportunity and that option and that kind of alternative is something we think people want."
Despite the NPR headline, the national bike route is an on-road route being developed by Adventure Cycling Association.Some advocates for drivers and truckers are worried that this new focus on biking could divert resources from roads. But LaHood says the Department of Transportation isn't looking to take away anyone’s turf - just to provide alternatives.
"We know that 90 percent of the people aren't going to be cycling to work," he says. "But that opportunity and that option and that kind of alternative is something we think people want."
Labels: transportation secretary LaHood, U.S. bike route system
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