BikePortland‘s Jonathan Maus is down in D.C. today for the National Bike Summit, where Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood gave the opening address this morning. From Maus’s recap:

Photo: Jonathan Maus

At the outset of his remarks, he said, “I want all of you to know you
have a full partner at the US DOT in working toward livable
communities”. A key theme of LaHood’s remarks was that he and President
Obama will work hard help make communities nicer places to walk and
bike. LaHood said that he and Obama, “Will work toward an America where
bikes are recognized to coexist with other modes and to safely share
our roads and bridges.”

One bright spot that did not go unnoticed by the crowd is that
LaHood said he and other transportation officials plan to study
European models of bike and walk-friendly facilities this spring
(something Portland, New York City, and others have already been doing).

We’ll see how LaHood’s words translate into policy, but it sure beats some of the rhetoric we heard from prior DOT Sec Mary Peters.

In another encouraging development, Maus reports that representative James Oberstar, chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, is meeting with prominent bike lawyers to discuss national traffic justice legislation.