In my latest "On the Go" video and in a blog last week, I talked about how bicycles are not just for recreation, but also for transportation. Today, as schools across America are letting out for summer vacation and families are making travel plans, I want to remind everyone that you can use your bicycles for both transportation and recreation on our U.S. Bicycle Route System.
And I'm happy to report that, since I blogged about our nation's interstate network of bicycle routes last summer, the Association of American State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) has approved the first new routes for the system in more than 30 years.
The new routes include USBR 1 in Maine and New Hampshire, USBR 20 in Michigan, and USBRs 8, 95, 97, and 87 in Alaska. All six routes have been in development for years, and the cycling community is excited to see them approved.
"The day after AASHTO approved the corridor plan, volunteers contacted our office and asked if they could start developing USBR 20 from Marine City to Ludington," said Josh DeBruyn, bicycle and pedestrian coordinator for the Michigan Department of Transportation.
AASHTO topped the new route approvals with a $5,000 technical assistance grant to Adventure Cycling to help states grow the system even more with new route selection. Adventure Cycling is an association that promotes bike travel among its more than 44,000 members. They have been helping coordinate development of the US BIke Route System, and their members contribute much of the volunteer energy needed to develop and maintain the system's routes.
"This marks the sixth year of our partnership with Adventure Cycling," said John Horsley, Executive Director of AASHTO. "We're pleased to provide support to the states as they work to create a U.S. Bicycle Route System."
The $5,000 will be added to the $31,000 Adventure Cycling raised during its National Bike Month campaign in May.
As Ginny Sullivan, coordinator for the USBRS and special projects director for Adventure Cycling, said, "The US Bike Routes system is ramping up as states begin work on implementation and submitting applications to AASHTO for new route approvals. It’s an exciting phase!"
And that is good news for anyone thinking about shifting their summer vacation from four wheels to two.
Katie Alvord in Divorce Your Car reports that Ghana has created such a system, as bicycles are cheaper than cars and more accessible for Ghanans to have.
Chris Marsh
Contractor, INDUS
FHWA
Posted by: Whoknowsmiester | June 17, 2011 at 12:28 PM
The gasoline era is coming to an end. It seemed promising at first especially when we had large reserves of oil. Now it brings us trade deficits, foreign military involvement, global warming, and personal pain in the pocketbook, not to mention the sedentary lifestyle that is killing us.
The best-case ultimate solution for long trips would be hydrogen-electric hybrid cars (electricity from solar, wind, or hydroelectric, and that electricity can also create hydrogen from water). For short trips, however, walking or biking is preferable.
Posted by: Whoknowsmiester | June 17, 2011 at 12:40 PM
We need a multimodal passenger transportation system to move people from their cars. Bikes and bike corridors will play an important role in that process. We also need to integrate bikes and walking with public transit and rail. Best wishes, Michael E. Bailey.
Posted by: Michael E. Bailey | June 19, 2011 at 11:44 PM
Huzzah! So great to see Federal Policy supporting those of us who want wait to see this country by bike! The smell of rolling hills, the crisp air, and peace and quiet you get biking across the country is what the USA is all about!
Posted by: mcas | June 20, 2011 at 04:31 PM
What a great endeavor. We as a society should learn to rely less on gas guzzling automobiles and more on bicycles. You do not have to travel across country. You could bike it from LA to San Diego if a bike lane was installed. Currently, Hwy 52 in San Diego Co has a Bike lane from Santee to the 805.
Posted by: George Codina | June 21, 2011 at 01:37 AM
It is quite easy to bike from LA to San Diego. I've done it. Much of the route has bike lanes/paths which is also quite nice. BTW, the 52 Fwy path only runs from Mast Blvd to Santo Rd (just short of I-15 not I-805). There is also the 56 Bike Trail, which does badly need better barriers.
Posted by: Michael Ballard | June 23, 2011 at 06:32 PM
We are biking from Indianapolis to Missouri for our family vacation.
We appreciate any efforts made in making America bikable!
Posted by: Helen Steussy | June 24, 2011 at 12:32 PM
Great news! I've dreamed of biking across the country since I was a little girl, and this is a step in the right direction. Much thanks to the Secretary and the DOT as a whole for supporting bicycling and walking as valid modes of transportation.
Posted by: storitellerb | June 24, 2011 at 05:17 PM
Totally Awesome. One housekeeping detail. You say "in a blog last week" ... no, you mean "in an article/post last week". This entire website is a blog, it's made up of articles. The singular word "blog" should not be used to refer to the actual article.
Thanks!
Posted by: Dr. Blog Master | June 26, 2011 at 02:50 PM
This is great news! I have been advocating for a USA national bicycle network ever since I heard about such a plan for England. England had planned to use lottery funds to pay for bicycle trails.
I think we are overdue to have a comprehensive offroad bicycle trail system in the US. I want to be able to bike from my house to anywhere that I need to go, like work, bank, shopping, school, recreation, entertainment, and so on.
Also, I want to be able to bike from my house to go on longer recreational rides to visit regional and far away towns, cities, parks, beaches, etc.
Let's do it today!!!
Posted by: Roland Oehme | July 15, 2011 at 12:30 PM