Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is an avid cyclist and offers much inspiration to the national cycling community! Taking on national opposition, Secretary LaHood has pledged to give bicycling the attention it deserves! Strap on your helmet cyclists-this could be a bumpy ride for Mr. Secretary. “This is the end of favoring motorized transportation at the expense of non-motorized,’’ LaHood wrote in his government blog.
“LaHood says the government is going to give bicycling — and walking, too — the same importance as automobiles in transportation planning and the selection of projects for federal money. The former Republican congressman quietly announced the “sea change’’ in transportation policy last month,” says Joan Lowrey in her article on Boston.com.
In an enthusiastic speech to the League of American Bicyclists, Secretary LaHood promised cyclists “(they) have a full partner” in him. To a packed crowd, LaHood promised bicycling and alternative transportation funding as part of the national Department of Transportation budget. The crowd was thrilled-the video is littered with cheers and clapping and even a little playful banter with the Secretary.
Bikeleague.org ran an article, “Setting the Record Straight on US DOT’s New Nonmotorized Policy Statement” that counters the opposition. “Transportation agencies are encouraged to go beyond minimum standards to provide safe and convenient facilities for” bicycling and walking” and “Considering walking and bicycling as equals with other transportation modes…Walking and bicycling should not be an afterthought in roadway design” are key features from the LaHood’s exciting new policy.
We at the Montague Corporation are excited about LaHood’s enthusiasm and fully support his cause and new policy regarding non-motorized transportation. We’re hopeful that this will bring some older policies out of the dark and focus more attention on, in our opinion, better modes of transportation.
Boston-this is a step in the right direction to keep climbing up the list of Top 50 U.S. Biking Cities! Keep it up!
Ride Safe! (and often!)
The Montague Corporation
