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The mission of Cycle America is to promote a network of coast-to-coast, multi-use transportation and recreational bicycle roads and trails, which will be called the National Bicycle Greenway. The primary purpose of the Greenway is to provide safe, clean, aesthetic, and enjoyable places for people of all ages to ride a bicycle all year round. These roads and rights of way will make the joy of bicycling more available for many Americans and their families. In addition, most will reconnect us with nature and our neighbors, promote better health and address many of our pressing environmental concerns. The Greenway network will utilize a network of abandoned rail lines and highways as well as active utility and aqueduct rights of way. It will ultimately be fed by other bicycle highways that stretch up and down both seaboards and crisscross America from east to west and north to south. These bike friendly corridors will link our urban areas with our wilderness and other open space lands and they will be designed so that wildlife will be able to safely cross them. On the stretches between urban areas, markers along the Greenway will explain the history and geography of the various regions that one passes through. By underscoring the joy of riding a bike, and showcasing pedal power's ability to enhance health, the Greenway will attract great numbers of people to bicycling in many different parts of America. In time, a network of bicycle greenways will help solve many of our traffic and air pollution problems as well. Greenway design and construction firms that specialize in bicycle trails will emerge as the Greenway program unfolds. Since some parts of the Greenway will be tastefully designed in a linear, park-like setting, service crews will maintain the landscaping, signage, rest areas and information kiosks that will border these important arterials. |
Restaurants, lodging and other support services will spring up along the Greenway, creating new jobs, and the structures that support these services will be designed to enhance the natural character of the Greenway. On some parts of the Greenway network, young people can find summer work transporting elderly and disabled people on bike taxis. Here, a bike shuttle service will also be available for transporting items that are inconvenient to be carried on a bicycle.
The Greenway will stimulate a whole new market for tourism domestically and from abroad. Periodic rest stops will give Americans more opportunity to meet each other and people from around the world. Many of the trails will be used for commuting and recreation during the week, and on weekends, especially in urban areas, they will see additional use by roller skaters, hikers, joggers and the physically challenged. Cycle America will gather and coordinate the resources needed to make this monumental undertaking happen. As a result of such efforts, the National Bicycle Greenway network will establish the bicycle as a desirable part of the transportation mix. As more of the Greenways is built and maintained, for a fraction of the cost of building even just a few miles of interstate freeway, the many advantages of bicycle transportation will soon become evident. A century ago, bicycling was an important part of American culture. The National Bicycle Greenway can return us to that rich heritage. The National Bicycle Greenway is a rare opportunity to become involved with an important project at its inception. Your participation will be greatly appreciated by all of us who love cycling and want to be remembered as 21st century trailblazers. Please contact us with your ideas, your energies and your enthusiasm. By acting now, you can join us in a movement toward a healthier America and a healthier world. |