Ray Lahood, the U.S. Secretary of Transportation, recently made an uplifting appaerence at the National Bike Summit. There appeared to be a lot of good news and Ray Lahood was quite clear in his commitment to making urban environments more bike friendly:
Today, I want to announce a sea change. People across America who value bicycling should have a voice when it comes to transportation planning. This is the end of favoring motorized transportation at the expense of non-motorized.
We are integrating the needs of bicyclists in federally-funded road projects. We are discouraging transportation investments that negatively affect cyclists and pedestrians. And we are encouraging investments that go beyond the minimum requirements and provide facilities for bicyclists and pedestrians of all ages and abilities.
Ray Lahood also made some key recommendations for future transportation projects including treating pedestrians and cyclists as equals in relation to vehicles and protect sidewalks and shared used paths the same way that roads are protected.
With the Obama Administration onboard as well, it seems that the future may actually look bright for cyclists in the future. Check out Ray Lahood’s post on his appaerence at the national bike summit.
