This could be huge

Did anyone catch this article in the NY Times this morning?

Obama Pledges Public Works on a Vast Scale

The highlight: Obama said " he would invest record amounts of money in the vast infrastructure program, which also includes work on schools, sewer systems, mass transit, electric grids, dams and other public utilities."

Wow. This could be huge. It caught my attention because having worked in the bike advocacy non-profit world for a while, I am fully aware of how little attention bike-friendly street design gets from both state and federal departments of transportation. It just doesn't occur to most DOT engineers and planners that including a bike lane and a sidewalk in a street design should be automatic. It most cases, DOTs pretty much focus on moving cars around faster. Period.

I have great hopes that if we all keep our eyes and ears open when these massive transportation funds become available we can avoid more streets and highways that look like this:

Instead, if we demand that bikes, pedestrians and cars are all given equal attention in street design and community planning, we can see a lot more things like this:

These kinds of facilities make for happier, healthier and more connected communities. There's no reason that all the asphalt has to benefit cars only, right?