Bike Talk v.015 🚲

All Hail the Highways

Highways are the blood veins of provinces, cities, states, and countries around this planet. These are the mega projects of nations, helping to connect outer rims to inner rims.

The first highway system began in Germany, today we know it as the Autobahns. This system first served the German population in 1933. This system of travel was developed during the time of the Nazi regime approved by Hitler. It spanned 14-mile between Frankfurt and Darmstadt and it currently spans more than 8,000 miles across Germany.

Netherlands Map

Although the United States did have an official highway system that was constructed in 1926, it was not as efficient a system as was the German highway construction of the time. The Autobahns of the 1930s were better connected and built for high speed. Whereas the US highways were not all paved and ended in certain states and towns. It wasn't until the Eisenhower administration in the mid-1950s that the United States began making the highways interstate travel capable.

Euro Zone Map

It would be great to say that the US is the chief innovator in the world of transportation. As I continue to research bicycles and two-wheel transportation, I simply find that we are slow and behind the curve. This leads me to the "Coney Island Cycle Path", this was the first recorded bicycle-specific path built in the world. Constructed 1894, Coney Island, New York this path spanned 5.5 miles connecting Brooklyn's Prospect Park to Coney Island.

It makes sense, New York has long been an overpopulated city where cycling has its kind of culture. But why did it stop there, if this country would have continued to build cycling highways through the 20th century we could have a system as efficient if not better than the bike highways of the Dutch Netherlands. It is the Dutch Netherland bicycle highway system that I salivate over, it on my bucket list of things to do.

US Bicycle Route System

I greatly appreciate the planning and efforts taken to make the cities and towns more friendly to bikes and pedestrians, rather than fossil fuel pollution. So, with all of that said, let's explore the United States Bicycle Route System that exists today.

The United States Bicycle Route wash was established in 1978. The USBR consists of interstate long-distance cycling routes that use multiple types of bicycling infrastructure, including off-road paths, bicycle lanes, and low-traffic roads. It's a well mapped and maintained system, much like the Interstate Highway System the USBRS is maintenance by state and local governments.

United States Map

The first two routes were established in 1982, the two remained the only USBR's until 2011, from then the system has seen steady growth and much interest. Currently, there are 24 parent routes and 14 child routes extending 13,099 miles (21,081 km) across 26 states including D.C., as of June 2018. It’s projected to span 50,000 miles (80,000 km) once completed, if that happens it will traverse the bike highways of the Dutch Netherlands.

Links to reference:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bike_freeway

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Bicycle_Route_System

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Bicycle_Route_System#searchInput