Experts Weigh in on Question of Bike-Car Equality

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood recently wrote on his blog that bicyclists would no longer be overlooked by federal transportation policy. National Journal asks its panel of experts whether cars and bikes should be treated equally.

1 minute read

March 25, 2010, 5:00 AM PDT

By Nate Berg


"LaHood called the new policy a 'sea change,' but is it a good one? Should non-motorized modes of transportation be treated as equal to other modes, particularly when modes like driving and mass transit are at least partially, if not primarily, self-funded? Or is it the essence of DOT's evolving 21st-century mission to give people more mobility options that, according to LaHood, are relatively fast and inexpensive to build, are environmentally sustainable, reduce travel costs, improve safety and public health, and 'reconnect citizens with their communities'?"

Responses from National Journal's panel of transportation experts include Andy Clarke, President of the League of American Bicyclists, Bill Graves, President and CEO of the American Trucking Associations, and Greg Cohen, President and CEO of the American Highway Users Alliance.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010 in National Journal

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