We should create an interstate Bike/Foot highway system.
Currently in Maine, we are converting no longer used railway infrastructure into foot and bike paths to link together communities all along the coast of Maine.
This road system is independent of the existing road infrastructure, takes travelers through senic areas, all while being free from worry about car traffic bearing down on them, or being pushed off the shoulder by insensitive drivers.
While many people are trying to save money and gas by switching to walking or biking to nearby locations, it's often hard to actually do in suburban and rural areas without traveling along poorly maintained or narrow roads that are dangerous to walk or bike on due to automotive traffic.
Offering an independent system for foot and bike traffic would encourage many who would like to bike to work or to the store but are uncomfortable with traveling along dangerous, crowded roadways. It would be a massive public works program that would spur the economy, and it would help with the obesity epidemic by allowing safe ways to run errands with human power-- without a car.
Comments (3)
This is not yet economically feasible, and probably will never be except in select areas.
Voting down.
That's an ignorant thing to say. You've not got a clue what it would take financially.
Furthermore, the State of Maine is already doing it, with much success.
Nations throughout Europe have done this already for years and years.
I like this idea. It would take individual states and towns to organize it but it definitely deserves funding... certainly more than the automakers deserved.