After 30 years of lying dormant, plans to create an interstate bicycle route system have been gaining momentum across the country.
The United States Bicycle Route System (USBRS) will be the largest bike route network in the world with a total of 50,000 miles of roadway, comparable to highways across the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Canada.
The route system was put on hold in 1982 due to a lack of realizing its benefits and facilitating interstate efforts, according to the Adventure Cycling Association (ACA), a major organizer for the project.
The USBRS will serve to improve transportation and recreation as well as the country’s economy and environment by linking key destinations and urban centers while considering the natural landscape.
The ACA outlined a myriad of positive impacts of the route system, such as decreasing pollution, projecting profit and job creation, reducing health risks and increasing environmentally-friendly infrastructure.
Every state in the country except for Alabama, Hawaii, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Rhode Island and South Carolina stated their intention of expanding the route system and are currently working to plan the route system.
Despite the general rejuvenation of the route system, plans in California haven’t been taking off.
“The primary interest in the system, from a statewide perspective, is the potential benefits to bicycle tourism,” explained Penny Gray of the Bicycle Facilities Unit of the California Department of Transportation.
“Bicycle tourism is a very popular activity in California,” continued Gray. “We have tourists from all over the United States as well as other countries traveling to California to explore our countryside and experience our near perfect cycling weather for most of the year.”
California started planning participation in the route system project in late 2009, according to Gray. Since then little has been done to advance the plans.
“We do not have funds for it, we do not have staffing for it, and so it’s on the back burner,” said Gray.
“It would be wonderful to work on such a project,” she explained. “It’s certainly something that I would like to pursue and I think that the office should, but right now it is not a top priority.”
The ACA, in conjunction with the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), has been spearheading the national campaign for the project–making strides in fundraising, raising awareness, and gaining support across the country.
“Our partnership with AASHTO means a great deal to us as we work with state and local transportation agencies,” said Ginny Sullivan, special projects director at the Adventure Cycling Association and coordinator for the USBRS, in a recent press release.
On June 7, Adventure Cycling Association announced that they had raised over $31,000 in this year alone.
Plans to further the momentum in California are as of yet unknown, however national efforts may enable the state to act sooner than expected.
