bikes

"Over the last four years, the streets of New York City have undergone a transformation: More than 250 miles of traffic lanes dedicated for bicycles have been created, and several laws aimed at promoting cycling have been passed.

"The efforts by the Bloomberg administration have placed New York City at the forefront of a national trend to make bicycling viable and safe even in the most urban of settings. Yet over the last year, a backlash has taken hold."

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/23/nyregion/23bicycle.html?_r=1&hp=&pagew...

Another reason I love Obama over Bush:

"The new focus on biking and walking represents a turnaround from the administration of President George W Bush. Mary Peters, transportation secretary under Bush, dismissed biking paths and trails as projects that "really are not transportation," saying they had no place in federal transportation policy.

I really hope that more areas become more bike friendly... I've been encouraged to see baltimore improving, I just hope it keeps it up

"Currently only 1 percent of New York City commuters are cyclists, according to Transportation Alternatives' Director of Bicycle Advocacy Caroline Samponaro, who claims this percentage represents that of most big cities in the U.S.

However, the Big Apple has seen a 28 percent increase in the number of cyclists since 2008 to reach a current total of 201,000 daily riders.

An extreme example of how narrow-minded some republican arguments seem to me.  Representive Patrick McHenry of North Carolina goes on an over-the-top rant about how dumb Democrats are for wanting to spend ~$10 million on improving bike infrastructure.  I know that many people would gladly use their bikes more if it were more convenient and safe - I think we need dedicated bike lanes, more driver awareness, increased rights for cyclists and increased penalties for bad driving, and bike "parking garages" to store your bike safetly, with shower rooms to clean up before hitting the town.  With