John McCain Wants to Keep Bikes Away from SFO

Some people don't like bikes, but Senator John McCain REALLY doesn't like bikes.

The former presidential candidate has inserted language into an aviation bill that would hobble funding for bike facilities at airports, according to Streetsblog.

Airports collect billions from passenger fees, which amount to about $4.50 per passenger. Some airports want to use that money to construct bike facilities such as racks and lanes, or closed-circuit monitoring to deter crime and theft.

These amenities are pretty cheap, but for some reason McCain's language would prohibit passenger fees from being used for bike infrastructure.

One possible reason: McCain may have been lobbied by well-funded automotive interest groups that would rather squeeze every last penny for parking lots.

Few people bike to the airport -- particularly SFO -- because it's difficult to do so. And that's likely to remain the case if McCain has his way.

The League of American Bicyclists has vowed to fight the measure.