Cyclists and Pedestrians Get Equal Footing with Motorists
Monday, March 29th, 2010Autopia is reporting that from now forward, the automobile will no longer come first when it comes to federal transportation planning. Ray LaHood, Transportation Secretary, says the needs of cyclists and pedestrians will be considered along with automobile and truck drivers, and he also says that riding and walking are, “…an important component for livable communities.”
LaHood wrote on his blog, “People across America who value bicycling should have a voice when it comes to transportation planning,” LaHood wrote on his blog. “This is the end of favoring motorized transportation at the expense of non-motorized.” He continued, “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.”
LaHood’s announcement came shortly after his attendance at the National Bike Summit, where the crowd was incredibly enthusiastic about his presence. At the summit, he told those assembled, “Our mission is the same as your mission,” and “I think we’re beginning to put our money where our mouth is on these issues.”
This new policy is in line with many other changes the Obama administration has put in place over the last year. In June, 2009, the Departments of Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development, and the Environmental Protection Agency announced the Interagency Partnership for Sustainable Communities, designed to coordinate policies to “…help improve access to affordable housing, more transportation options, and lower transportation costs while protecting the environment in communities nationwide.” Secretary LaHood’s announcement is a step toward that goal.
Translated into plain English, Mr. LaHood’s policy statement means that – in Autopia’s words, “…multimodal transportation (pedestrians & cyclists) will be an What his policy statement effectively says is multimodal transportation (meaning pedestrians and cyclists) will be an ‘equal’ part of all new infrastructure projects getting funding from Washington.”