Will we one day have a national network of bike trails?

[Pamela Ann Cameron]

     Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood would like to see the face of American transportation change.  Currently, 90% of Americans drive their cars to work.  Obviously, this contributes to congestion, pollution, and can become a quality of life issue if the commuter has to sit in traffic.  Mr. LaHood wants cities around America to provide alternatives. "He wants to make biking as important as driving." (NPR staff writer, Guy Raz)

     To quote Secretary LaHood precisely, he says, "We’ve put almost all of our resources into roads,  If the commitment when President Eisenhower signed the interstate bill had been to high-speed inner-city rail, we'd be in the same position Europe and Asia are in today."  He is also vocal about favoring the possibility of a nationwide interstate biking system. He feels that most commuters want options other than driving their own cars.  He intimates that his focus will be aimed at offering alternatives in the area of transportation to the public.

     Will city planners across the country be open to the idea of providing a biking system?  Los Angeles and New York City are two cities that are currently considering adding a biking system to their transportation plans.  My brother is an avid bicycle rider who lives in Austin.  They are a city that already has many biking lanes because of Lance Armstrong.  It is a clean form of transportation that helps the commuter get in shape while riding to work.  Certainly if it is a long ride, one would have a need for shower facilities at their place of work; however, many companies already offer this.  It is definitely something to think about as a low cost, clean and healthy alternative.  What do you think?