Cycling is woven into the economic fabric

With a different mindset, Austin and Travis County could regard cycling as a vital part of our economy, contributing to the wealth as well as the health. Here's a NY Times article about the impact in Portland:

Cyclists have long revered Portland for its bicycle-friendly culture and infrastructure, including the network of bike lanes that the city began planning in the early 1970s. Now, riders are helping the city build a cycling economy....in a city often uncomfortable with corporate gloss, what is most distinctive about the emerging cycling industry here is the growing number of smaller businesses, whether bike frame builders or clothing makers, that often extol recycling as much as cycling, sustainability as much as success.

In a report for the City of Portland last year, the firm estimated that 600 to 800 people worked in the cycling industry in some form.... there are about 125 bike-related businesses in Portland, including companies that make bike racks, high-end components for racing bikes and aluminum for bikes mass-produced elsewhere. There are small operations that make cycling hats out of recycled fabric. Track, road and cyclo-cross races are held year-round, and state tourism groups promote cycling packages.

We have many building blocks here in this county -- starting with seven time Tour de France Champion Lance Armstrong -- and a lot of racers who train here. There could be a world class velodrome here, along with a new home for the Olympic team.

So can't we take cycling - -recreational and commuting -- into account when we design road plans for 2030?