FromAP:
LaHood says the government is going to give bicycling – and walking, too – the same importance as automobiles in transportation planning and the selection of projects for federal money. The former Republican congressman quietly announced the "sea change" in transportation policy last month.
"This is the end of favoring motorized transportation at the expense of non-motorized," he wrote in his government blog.
Not so fast, say some conservatives and industries dependent on trucking. A manufacturers' blog called the policy "nonsensical." One congressman suggested LaHood was on drugs.
Yup, you read right
I read it and wept. Last year a friend of mine was killed in cleveland when she was riding her bike to work. she was a recent college graduate whose life was cut short because she was riding her bike on the same lane as a truck and got struck.
I ride my bike very carefully as a result of that. In fact in February a slight mistake on my part almost got me in a nasty accident in Connecticut. I used to ride my bike up to 30miles around my home but, after that accident, my family insisted I stopped riding it on the main road.
I lived in Maastricht, Netherlands one summer and was struck by the wise design of roads in Netherlands that allowed people to bike everywhere. It was always a joy to see a well dressed middle aged woman riding her bike to work on a monday morning. I was so happy to see it.
The secretary of transportation, a bike enthusiast himself recommended(not mandated,hence no regulation) that future road designers incorporate bike lanes into their planning of roads.
The blog of the National association of manufacturers blogged against it. I couldn't believe it.
The idiot on the website shopfloor suggested that the administration was declaring war on cars. Argggh! what has become of common sense. oh wait, we talking about wingnuts here.
Go to his blog and shock yourself.
http://www.shopfloor.org/...
We have an obese population. People who wanna incorporate biking or walking into their day can't afford the safety concerns that come with walking on the road. In places like Oregon where bike lanes are incorporated into road design a lot of people use the lanes and save all drivers(and truckers) space and reduce traffic for all of us. What could be wrong with that?
Argg! This is what the president is dealing with, folks!