Defend Bike Paths as Transportation Infrastructure

This post was originated by The League Of American Bicyclists:

On August 15, the PBS NewsHour with Jim Leher interviewed DOT Secretary Mary Peters.

Peters, when asked about a possible gas tax increase, repeated President Bush’s response - No, there can be no tax increase because Congress is wasting the money they already get. Peters cited “bicycle paths” as a prime example of the waste because bicycles are not a transportation use of the gas tax money.

It is disappointing that the administration is attacking Jim Oberstar for his efforts to get the Minneapolis bridge repaired along with raising the funding for transportation maintenance, by using Oberstar’s support for bicycles as a weapon.

The League of American Bicyclists feels strongly that this should not go without a response and we have sent a letter to Secretary Peters voicing our view. Click here to view our response.

For those of you who feel strongly about bicycling issues, we would also urge you to contact the Secretary to share your personal viewpoints.

To listen to an audio copy of the PBS interview click here

BioWheels sent a letter to Secretary Peters via the Bike League website. Here is the letter:

Dear Secretary Peters:

I was very disappointed to hear your comments about bicycle paths in your recent interview on the MacNeil Lehrer NewsHour.

I own a bicycle business and sell bicycles and accessories on a daily basis to people who want to replace their cars entirely or limit their automobile use by using a bicycle as transportation. The number one reason I hear from my customers for not using their bicycles as transportation more frequently is the lack of bicycle paths & lanes.

Bicycles are the ideal “congestion relief”. More than 40 percent of trips in urban areas in this country are two miles or less; one quarter are just one mile or less, and most of these trips that could easily be made with a bicycle are made by car.

Bicycle use as transportation should be promoted and funded more vigorously by the federal government if it is sincerely interested in saving energy, cutting climate changing emissions, improving air quality, reducing congestion and improving the overall health of the American population.

Please publicly rescind your comments about bicycle paths being a waste of federal transportation dollars and respond to me about how the D.O.T. is going to promote and fund bicycle use so that I may pass the information on to my customers.

Sincerely,

Eric Krause
BioWheels
81 Coxe Avenue
Asheville, NC 28801

Help Save Bike Access to the Continental Divide Trail

This post comes courtesy of IMBA - a great organization that acts as a voice for all off-road cyclists. Please take action and then support IMBA if you do not already (links are below). The Forest Service’s deadline for comments is Friday, October 12.

When it comes to the longest trails in the country, mountain bikes haven’t been welcome. Congress banned bicycles from the Appalachian Trail before our sport evolved, and access to the Pacific Crest Trail was eliminated in 1988, before mountain bike advocacy had fully developed. With nearly 5,000 miles of iconic trail off-limits on either coast, mountain bikers have had to look to the Rocky Mountains for their taste of epic, backcountry riding.

The 3,100-mile Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (CDNST) is truly a unique resource for the mountain biking community. Running the spine of the Rockies from Canada to Mexico, the CDNST is largely open to bikes in non-Wilderness areas. But now that appears to be in danger as well.

Take Action!
Bike access to the country’s longest shared-use trail is now in jeopardy. The Forest Service just released a draft rule that would encourage land managers to kick bikes off existing routes, and not include us on future segments. Your voice is needed to help preserve our access!

• Send Comments
  File formal comments with the Forest Service. IMBA’s simple form makes it easy.
• Spread the Word
  Rally your friends and ask them to echo your support for bike access on this outstanding trail. We need thousands of comments to hold out hope for continued access.
• Help Maintain the CDNST
  If you live or play near the CDNST, consider organizing or attending trailwork days to help build and maintain this magnificent trail.
• Donate
  The IMBA Legal Fund needs your financial support to preserve singletrack.

The Forest Service’s deadline for comments is Friday, October 12.

Additional Information

The Forest Service suggests prohibiting mountain biking where our use is currently allowed on the CDNST. The proposed policy also singles out bicycling as an undesirable use that should be subject to additional scrutiny and restrictions. These include a burden of proof that bicycling “would not substantially interfere with the nature and purposes of the CDNST,” which the Forest Service deems to be hiking and horse travel.

IMBA believes that the Forest Service directive should not discriminate against bicycling on the CDNST. This is our chance to ask the Forest Service to include bicycling as a central focus and purpose for the trail.

The CDNST is a public trail and potential uses should be considered equally. It is unfair to discriminate against bicycling when scientific research has shown its impacts to be similar to hiking and less than equestrian use.

With 40 million participants, mountain biking is the second most popular trail activity in the country (Outdoor Industry Foundation, 2007). This large constituency helps lobby for public lands funding and donates nearly one million volunteer hours each year to trail construction and maintenance. Mountain bikers can be valuable partner for the CDNST by helping build and maintain trail, and by lobbying for its completion.

IMBA is not asking for access to the entire CDNST and respects the ban on bicycling in existing Wilderness areas. Some non-Wilderness sections may be suitable as hiking and/or horse-only, but along the 3,100 miles there is room enough for multiple uses in most areas.

Unfortunately, the newly proposed Forest Service directives specifically target only motorized and bicycle travel, even though bicycling is a quiet, low-impact, human-powered activity and science has shown the impacts of mountain bicycling to be similar to hiking and far less than horse or OHV use.

The IMBA / Forest Service Memorandum of Understanding states mountain bicycling should be managed distinctly from motorized travel. It also says mountain bicycling is appropriate in areas listed as “primitive” on the Recreation Opportunity Spectrum. These areas comprise a significant percentage of the CDNST.

Steady but sure, Cincinnati’s Scenic Bike Path marches on

Cincinnati City Council passed a measure yesterday approving the temporary extension of the Scenic Bike Path from the Lunken Airport perimeter trail towards Sawyer Point. Within two years, an idle portion of the Oasis rail line (paralleling Eastern Ave.) could see the bikeway running alongside and riders, skaters, and walkers from downtown and areas east with new opportunities.

Due to the persistence of our area’s bicycling advocates, major strides have been taken in the last three years with the extension of the same bike trail from Milford to Newtown. The temporary four mile extension will cost an estimated $1 million, and will be raised by private donations. Supporting members of city council hope this will be the first step in extending the trail to the West side and the Mill Creek Valley.

What we want to know is, who’s in charge of re-painting the mile markers every year

Click for ‘more’ to see the map.  Continue reading Steady but sure, Cincinnati’s Scenic Bike Path marches on…