I serve on the local zoning board of my small town and see traffic studies from time to time. They are, by definition, car-centric, and usually conducted by earnest professionals who graduated 20+ years ago, long before the new trend towards bike infrastructure and downtown-centric development. There is a new generation of planning professionals that don't automatically place the car at the center of transportation discussions but it will take some idea for these ideas to percolate through the whole process. Until then, we should keep pushing and advocating for bike friendly infrastructure.
If you don't already pay attention to the issues that your local council and planning boards have on the docket, please consider tracking them and showing up when it concerns cycling. I can't speak for all boards, but our board listens carefully to the concerns of community members that show up at our meetings. They are neighbors, after all.