Washington DC used to just play lip service to cyclists. Who can forget those awkward images of George W. Bush “mountain biking” on his Texas ranch? Meanwhile bike projects went ignored.
But in the midst of tea parties and health care and immigration and a hundred other hot button issues that have things shaking in DC since Obama took office, there is one big development that has gotten little mainstream press. The bike industry is becoming a true political force. Even better, politicians are listening.
In March, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood had to stand on top of a table to be heard when he spoke at the raucous last day of the National Bike Summit. Cynics took it with a grain of salt. Previous administrations had made empty promises when it came to listening to cyclists. LaHood, however, has caught the cycling bug and he plans to make major changes at the Department of Transportation (DOT) that will translate into a better infrastructure for cyclists across the country.
“Today, I want to announce a sea change,” said LaHood on his blog (bit.ly/90xHMF) after the summit. “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.”
Far from just saying the right thing, he went on to define just what he was willing to do to make a difference. “We are integrating the needs of bicyclists in federally-funded road projects,” he said. “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.”
That’s a major change in the way the DOT thinks about infrastructure—and one that should help people beyond our little bike friendly bubble of Colorado get pedaling. Of course, some politicians have come out damning the shift in transportation thinking. “What job is going to be created by having a bike lane?” asked Ohio Republican Steven LaTourette. Iowa Republican Tom Latham claimed it took money out of the transportation trust fund and “swept aside” real transportation needs.
If they are reading this letter, I would like to invite them to come to the EO office and go for a bike ride so that we can discuss the issue, so that we could show them how a culture of cycling builds strong, thriving towns (think Denver, Boulder, Fruita, Crested Butte, Breckenridge…) . Cycling is not a partisan pastime. People of all political leanings like to ride bikes. In fact, one of the joys of it is that it makes everyone a bit of a kid again.
In this issue, we celebrate bikes. So I would also like to encourage you to get involved with the groups that continue to fight to improve cycling for all of us who love to spin on two wheels. Go to the web sites of IMBA (imba.org), Bikes Belong (bikesbelong.org), the League of American Bicyclists (bikeleague.org) and similar groups that lobby Washington for two wheels and join in. The more our voice is heard, the better it gets. And the more people on bikes the better for our health as individuals, communities and a planet.
