Feds report on Marin's cycling progress

From the Marin Independent-Journal (CA), 02.28.08:

Foot power: Report reveals Marin's biking, walking habits
Every day, Marin residents log more than 131,000 miles by bike and on foot, according to the first report on the county's participation in a $100 million nationwide pilot project aimed at getting people out of cars. The percentage of daily trips made by bicycling or walking is an estimated 13.6 percent, according to the study. That's better than the national average of 9.5 percent.

The report to Congress, released Wednesday, details baseline data for the Nonmotorized Transportation Pilot Program, which is in its second year. The next report, showing the impact of the pilot, will be issued in 2010-11. Marin and three other communities--Minneapolis, Minn.; Sheboygan County, Wis.; and Columbia, Mo.--were picked for the trial in which each community was given $20 million for bike paths and other improvements aimed at increasing biking and foot traffic.

The goal is to decrease auto-related pollution and fuel consumption, which will help fight global warming and reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil. (Read more.)

On the week of the annual National Bike Summit, here's encouraging coverage of the landmark Nonmotorized Transportation Pilot Program. The advocates who attended past summits helped to pass this provision, enabling generous Federal support to several communities working on improved bicycling and walking. Advocacy works for bicyclists.

Image: Marin Independent-Journal.
Visit: Bicyclists and Pedestrians Can Cool the Climate, Rails to Trails press release
Visit: Paul Dorn's Bike Commuting Tips Site