Following an executive bike ride around Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, by several cabinet members, other officials, and staff, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) announced plans to update the statewide Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan through an online customer survey.
“We are updating the 2007 Statewide Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan with the goal of outlining a vision and framework for improving conditions for biking and walking,” PennDOT Secretary Leslie S. Richards said. “Through our survey, we are especially interested in learning of and addressing the needs of those who walk and bicycle out of necessity.”
Also during the bicycling event held in honor of Bike to Work Week, representatives from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) and the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) highlighted their agency’s perspectives on the importance of cycling throughout the commonwealth.
“Whether it’s a leisurely circling of a lake or a hard-driving climb up a mountain road, unlimited biking terrain and opportunities can be found within our 121 state parks and more than 2.2 million acres of state forestland,” DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn said. “We are blessed with 11,000 miles of trails, all offering bicyclists unlimited ways of seeing all those very special outdoor places we have to offer.”
DEP Secretary Patrick McDonnell said bicycle riding is “one of the most fun ways to fight climate change and clean our air,” helping to cut down harmful emissions that contribute to poor air quality.