New Plan for nation-spanning U.S. Bicycle Route System to be unveiled at Interbike

July 22nd, 2010 3:52pm

Adventure Cycling Association - North America's largest cycling membership organization - will showcase an emerging plan for a nationwide U.S. Bicycle Route System (USBRS) at the upcoming Interbike Expo, September 24-26, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The USBRS project is a multi-organizational effort lead by the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO) with the support of Adventure Cycling.

Part of an international trend to create extensive national cycle networks, the U.S. Bicycle Route System could become the largest route network in the world. "Bicycle travel is a robust part of the resurgence in cycling," says Jim Sayer, executive director of Adventure Cycling. Indeed, recent features in the New York Times, Newsweek, and USA Today underscore the growing interest in bicycle travel. Sayer continues, "There is a clear need not only for improved bicycle commuting infrastructure but for a national bicycle route system that connects urban, suburban, and rural areas." The goal of this effort is to create an interconnected system that would incorporate an expanding network of bike routes crisscrossing the nation, linking regions with important scenic, historic, cultural, and recreational value.

The result will be a national network of bike routes that will connect communities and ensure opportunities for future generations to travel by bicycle throughout America. The U.S. Bicycle Route System plan is emerging out of a four-year process. First, existing cycling routes and trails were documented and then a corridor-level plan for the system was developed and reviewed extensively. Now awaiting approval by AASHTO, the corridor-level plan outlines 50-mile-wide corridors that link destinations. This plan is a starting point for states to work together to establish multi-state bike routes, which will be numbered, and may be mapped and signed, by the state DOTs. "This is a huge step forward for cycling in America," says Adventure Cyclist magazine deputy editor Aaron Teasdale. "Imagine being able to ride from your hometown to any major city or region of the country on nationally designated bicycle routes. The nation will be ours to ride." Adventure Cycling Association is the premier bicycle travel organization in North America with over 44,000 members. A nonprofit organization, its mission is to inspire people of all ages to travel by bicycle. It produces routes and maps for cycling in North America, organizes more than 40 tours annually, and publishes the best bicycle travel information anywhere, including Adventure Cyclist magazine and The Cyclists' Yellow Pages. With 38,158 meticulously mapped miles in the Adventure Cycling Route Network, Adventure Cycling gives cyclists the tools and confidence to create their own bike travel adventures.

Contact the office at (800) 755-BIKE (2453), [email protected], or visit Adventurecyclig.org