It's Official: Robert "Highways are environmentally friendly but bikeways are not" Ehrlich plans to rematch O'Malley
While I will give former Governor credit for pushing through MD's portion of the Great Allegheny Passage (<a href="http://www.atatrail.org/">http://www.atatrail.org/</a>;) But his choice for Secretary of Transportation (Robert Flanagan) resulted in the most draconian period for cyclists in this state in recent years. Flanagan wielded MDOT's policy of accommodating cyclists where "practical and feasible" as a carte blanche rule for violating state law that the needs of cyclists MUST be considered in ALL transportation projects. Under Flanagan's tenure Government employees where threaten to support the state's position on the ICC trail or be fired. Flanagan in testimony before the legislature bragged about coming in under budget $40 million for years in a row while denying cycling accommodations as "too expensive" that would be only a small fraction of that amount. I will strongly assert any government agency that comes in under budget by that large of an amount is not performing its duties to the citizens of this state.
I feel that it is my duty to inform all those who support cycling that during Ehrlich's administration the most absurd and laughable assertion ever that a bike trail is not environmentally friendly while a multi-lane highway full of single occupancy vehicles is environmentally friendly. We have made progress in undermining Ehrlich 's anti-ICC trail and a change back to that administrations could jeopardize that progress.