Originally Posted by skanking biker

Indeed, In addition, I would venture to guess that most cyclists that post here, like myself, who use the bicycle as a means of transportation, became interested in it BECAUSE OF recreational riding. I'll be the first to admit that I was utterly clueless when I first started. But through recreation, I developed a love of cycling that imbued me with a desire to learn as much as I could about cycling. The more I learned, the more comfortable I became. The more comfortable and knowledgable I became the more willing I was to use the roads and cycle "vehicularly." There wouldn't be many people using cycling as a means of transportation in this country if there were not adequate "recreational cycling facilities" as you use the term. If developing more "recreational facilities" with get others interested in cycling, form the impetus to learn the appropriate skills to ride in traffic, and make them feel comfortable enough to develop and hone those skills, then I can't see how one can oppose them.