Bicycle Superhighway Planned in 1897 Apparently Wasn't the Future of Transit

Some people say that high speed rail is the future of transportation in our country. In 1897, people were saying the same thing about a Bicycle Superhighway in California.

The highway, a for-profit bicycle superhighway that would stretch from Pasadena to downtown Los Angeles, was called the California Cycleway and was essentially a bicycle toll road.
So what happened to the plan? Here's the story and some cool old pics to go with it.