NBG Vision

Our Vision of Two-Wheel Unity

Imagine a tree shaded path that cycle tourists, bike commuters, those out for a family ride, and people of all ages and nationalities can come together on to have their biking needs met; a network of bike roads and paths that all of these users can ride side by side on to get to wherever it is that they may need to travel. Car drivers already have such a network of arterials -- the interstate system. And yet while on the Greenway network we envision there is laughter, the smell of fresh cut grass or newly plowed earth, and the faint sound of gears clicking and birds chirping merrily away. On America's freeways, enclosed in their metal capsules, its users are pitted against one another and the planet itself. On their roads, as a result of the way they are designed, motorists only further implode this great sense of separation (not to mention the damage they are causing to one another and the earth itself) that they feel from the planet and from their fellow man.

In getting to this sad state of affairs, the motoring public did have a general plan -a unifying vision. In the '50's, it pledged our country's resources, best human talent and billions of dollars to making its dream of a utopia real. "If you build 'em, they will come." This was the rallying cry for the interstate highways. As cyclists, we need to commandeer this phrase for ourselves; use it to reverse the sad state of current affairs that this country's love affair with the auto has forced on us. With a unifying vision of our own, we can show Americans that our lives can be built around an infrastructure that INCLUDES bicycles just as readily as they are now built around an automobile empire that pretends we do not exist.

The car and its voracious hunger for asphalt can no longer continue to reign as the crowned ruler supreme. We have to begin again, to restore a sense of community to the world around us. We need to find a different way to move around. We must reorient our priorities so that education and the workplace favor bicycles. Growing numbers of people are already saying that they want to eliminate the car from their lives.  The National Bicycle Greenway bicycle network will give them a safe way to move around without one.

Besides bringing cyclists to a more remote America from the more populated city centers, the NBG will bring tourism back to a small town America that the Interstates have abandoned in their quest for speed. One example is the Mother Highway, Route 66. It can be made a part of the NBG network and can create a whole new way of seeing this great land of ours. Its mile-long Chain of Rocks Bridge that crosses the Mississippi in Missouri, recently opened on weekends to human power only. As interstates accessibility increases and becomes more of a transportation link, all of the roads that serve it can be made grand once again. As can all of the tiny towns along its way. Route 66 doesn't have to be dedicated exclusively to bikes to make this happen. All we are asking is that cyclists be made favored and welcome visitors. How? A Class One bike lane can easily run on both sides of its entire length.

US 11 that runs from New Orleans to just outside of Washington DC is a favorite with knowledgeable cyclists in the area it serves because of the wide shoulder that runs much of its length. There are other such abandoned US highways all over America that need to be connected to the labyrinth of the National Bicycle Greenway. They will be mapped to meet up with the great trail work that is being done all over America, such as the C&O Canal path, that will ultimately connect Pittsburgh and parts north with DC. In the greater Washington DC area, the many great trails and paths such as the Branch trail network and Rock Creek Park that runs through much of the heart of the Capitol City, will be tied into this system.

In the Midwest, bike roads and paths can even connect to the Katy Trail in Missouri and with the great trails in Minnesota and Wisconsin. The Natchez Trace Parkway in the South, and Florida's growing network of trails can be made a part of this larger network. While out in the West, the California Aqueduct that sends water from Northern California to the South and is already an approved bike route but is largely inaccessible because no bike roads feed it, can be plugged into this system as can the Centennial Trail that connects Eastern Washington with Idaho, and the Santa Ana River trail that connects LA with the desert.

The tremendous work that is being done by the Rails to Trails Conservancy; the American Discovery Trail; Adventure Cycling; WABA; and the East Coast Greenway and other such advocacy and trail building organizations will supercharge the vision we hold into a powerful form.

Inter-city and intra-city routes will be added to this system once we establish the main overlay. In time, the National Bicycle Greenway will connect sightseeing areas, city parks, schools, and downtowns. When all of these trails and paths are linked, public pressure will be brought to bear so that they are upgraded to consistent specifications.

As the NBG maps out the roads and pathways that will form the National Bicycle Greenway network, and in time also feed the one main coast to coast bike highway we envision, we need your help in identifying worthy bike paths and cyclist-friendly roads. US highways that have been usurped by Interstates, as well as scenic highways that slow cars down, make great pre-existing arterials for the Greenway. Toward this end, we will map all the roads and paths that travel a worthy distance or help the cyclist get through tough riding conditions.

If you see roads or paths that are not there, let us know what's missing. We often hear the refrain, "Things are moving so fast, we need to slow down." A commitment to build the NBG network of bicycle roads is a move towards restoring sanity, peace, and the needed well-being that will remedy this problem.

A commitment to build the NBG network of bicycle roads is a move towards restoring sanity, peace, a feeling of community, and the health and well-being of our nation's citizens.

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National Bicycle Greenway, PO BOX 60355, Palo Alto, CA 94306 Phone: 415-240-4712 Email