Lance Armstrong's mother speaks in support of bicycle accommodations

USAToday has a story about Lance Armstrong's mother's advocacy of funding for bicycle accommodations in the upcoming federal transportation bills. At issue are both the 2004 transportation funding and the TEA-21 re-authorization bill, which will determine federal transportation policy for the next six years:

Linda Armstrong Kelly is hitting the TV news interview circuit to promote federal funding of bike trails and safe routes to school.

"The transportation bill now up for a vote in Congress doesn't include funding for these very important projects," she says. "It is shame that they can't ride safely to school." . . .

Armstrong Kelly says she and young Lance used to take long bike rides on weekends, exploring the back roads of Texas in what they called "adventures in uncharted territory."

A working single mom, she couldn't drive her only child to school, so Lance also would ride his bike to class and swim practice.

"Parents always worry about their kids being away from them, but riding a bike taught Lance about responsibility and accountability," she says. "Those values helped make him the champion he is today."

Citing statistics from the Texas Bicycle Coalition, she says that in the 1960s more than 60% of American kids walked or rode their bikes to school. Today that figure is down to only 13%.