Inter-city paved roads and paved roads in the City of Madison began post-World War I. City streets were paved beginning in the early 1920s. The paving of roads was to facilitate the automobile. Horse drawing vehicles were banned from major city street streets in the late twenties/early thirties.
-----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] on behalf of Eric Westhagen Sent: Fri 2/16/2007 14:43 To: Schimpff, Jeff A - DNR; BikiesSubmissions Subject: Re: [Bikies] Money for Cycling "Schimpff, Jeff A - DNR" wrote: > > Eric, > > There a few givens in the cycling world. > > First, the proliferation of automobile use over the past 80 years has > rendered a large percentage of public roadways unfit for bicycling, for > both health and safety reasons. > > Second, this transportation imbalance has been entirely funded by public > monies collected as taxes. > > Third, much of this tax comes from property taxes, which is in no way > related to actual use of the roadways thus funded. This means that > non-drivers and occasional drivers are subsidizing people who choose to > drive virtually everywhere for any whimsical reason. Because the > prolific over-use of motor vehicles also harms human health, those > property tax payers who rarely drive are also subsidizing damage to > their own health, especially in urban areas. It also has raised > generations of Americans to be fat and lazy, as well as caused billions > of dollars worth of avoidable medical and premature burial costs > resulting from car crashes. > > Fourth, for health, energy conservation, and geopolitical war and peace > reasons, government should be obligated to help tip the balance of this > skewed situation it has created, back toward a rational transportation > policy. This means providing more funding for paths, lanes, directional > signage, maps, education, and other means of aiding and abetting people > to travel by means that are far less socially and environmentally > destructive and wasteful than the motorized, one person-one car system > in existence today. > > George's suggestion is very fitting and appropriate as one way to help > counter the intertwined health, energy, air quality, water quality, land > use, and other problems posed by our current transportation system. > > Jeff Schimpff > Bureau of Science Services > Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources > "Bus, Bike, Walk or Carpool to Work for Clean Air for Kids" > (*) phone: (608) 267- 7853 > (*) fax: (608) 267-5231 > (*) e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > -----ANSWER----- Dear Jeff, I appreciate your personal letter on this subject. But there are larger issues at stake. We do understand that there are multiple bicycle riders in our State. They range from racers and triathlon trainers to little children. Their roadway needs are different. After all, there have been complaints on the "bikies" site about racers on bike trails. Also we have the large group of off-road types. The loudest seem to be the European-type city commuters who are the ones wanting special attention. I have recently been in Seattle where heath and fitness takes on new meaning. A person doesn't go a block without a hill and everybody drives fast. Yet there are more bicycles than nearly anywhere. They are downtown--in the U-District--Capitol Hill----etc. There are no special arrangements that I can see. At night few have any lights. The have a "culture" of bicycles and fitness. Very few of our inter-city roads in the USA are divided and limited access. All the others are open to bicycles. There is no way to provide bicycle roads throughout the grid. Bicycles need smooth roads if they travel at twenty-mph or faster. Foot paths and bike trials have winter heavings and stone bumps and the State Highway departments cannot be expected to maintain bike trials to the smoothness of standard roadways. So, I can joke about the "horse and buggy" days of my Grandparents--but for serious speed bicycle riders automobile roads are ideal. The problem as I see it has always been to develop a culture which appreciates the bicycle. I heard a National talk show and their contention was that bicycles should be banned from all intercity roadways. They were serious. Promotion of the bicycle is needed, not--in your face confrontation with motorists. Bicycling has followed an "aristocratic" pathway in my lifetime. Like most activities--equipment is overemphasized. The bike racing world has a sign out--"You need not apply." Children are even discouraged with parents who fear automobiles. Adding public infra-structure is not an easy question. If bike lanes are too isolated--criminal lurk and security is needed. One solution begs another problem. This is not Europe and a bicycle mentality cannot be dictated through activism. Social change is systemic and not declared through the Governor's office or a Dane County activist group. If something is to be done in a positive way by the State regarding bicycles on country roads, it should be making it known that bicycles should ride two to three feet into the lane so that they are seen and they are stable in regards to the shoulder. The State could spend on TV ads about bicycle rights and safe passing. But municipal bike trails are a municipal matter. There is no reason for a special bike bureaucracy with some looted oil company moneys. Eric Westhagen > > > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On > Behalf Of Eric Westhagen > Sent: Tuesday, February 13, 2007 1:50 PM > To: BikiesSubmissions > Subject: [Bikies] Money from Heaven > > Dear Group: > > I read the suggestion that Gov. Doyle be contacted demanding ten percent > of some "money from heaven." That is some type of oil tax which I > gather is not intended to impact oil companies and their activities. > But that is another subject. Assuming the Gov. is just getting the > Wisconsin "fair share" of some holdup, just what is the "infrastructure > for bicycles" > maintained by the State and not local governments? Just which segment > of bicycling should this largess be distributed over? As for > government--maybe there should be a "twenty-dollar" bike license for > "State bicycle infrastructure" for those who favor "State involvements" > in our lives and recreations? Maybe such a license plate could come > with a "big brother chip" to protect children as well as with the > other modern governmental snooping and protection, if-----say the > license were then jacked to thirty dollars per bicycle. -------See what > I mean, all of you who want Gov. Doyle's help for your bicycle pleasure! > > Eric Westhagen > > _______________________________________________ > Bikies mailing list > [email protected] > http://www.danenet.org/mailman/listinfo/bikies > > _______________________________________________ > Bikies mailing list > [email protected] > http://www.danenet.org/mailman/listinfo/bikies _______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list [email protected] http://www.danenet.org/mailman/listinfo/bikies
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