future bike route networks

I noticed the following item in the March issue of Bicycling magazine:

Who says car and bike people can't get along? The American ssociation of State Highway and Transportation Officials recently approved plans for a U.S. Bicycle Route System (U.S.B.R.S.), proposed by the Adventure Cycling Association. The system, which will extend more than 50,000 miles, "will mostly be on existing trails and roadways," says Jim Sayer, Adventure Cycling's executive director. "Some states are already working on connecting the routes."

The U.S.B.R.S. will be the largest bike route system in the world, surpassing the planned 36,000-mile Euro-Velo route. "Its success depends on state departments of transportation and agencies that maintain roads and trails," says Ginny Sullivan, Adventure Cycling's new-routes coordinator. Implementation for the routes, she say, will vary from state to state depending upon funding for planning and signage. Contact the Adventure Cycling Association to connect with groups working on routes in your state.

We have a good start on this here in NE Illinois and NW Indiana. With a bit of an advocacy push, I'm hopeful that this plan could get a boost by piggybacking on President Obama's plan for improving our nation's infrastructure.