We're still working to get the Bike Commuter Benefits Act of 2006 passed in Congress. We'll let you know as soon as we have news or an action alert. In the meantime, I thought these statistics about the Senate bill might be of interest.

BICYCLE COMMUTERS BENEFIT ACT of 2006 (Senate Bill 2635)

• According to recent Census reports, more than 500,000 people throughout the United States commute to work by bicycle.
• Bicycles offer the strongest potential for reducing single-occupancy vehicle trips.
• According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, bicycles are second only to cars as a preferred form of transportation. This highly preferred mode of transportation should not be excluded from commuter benefit programs.
• Financial incentives are currently offered for commuting by modes of transportation other than bicycles; it is time to level the playing field to include bicycle commuting.
• Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Susan Collins (R-ME), Richard Durbin (D-Ill), and Robert Menendez (D-NJ) introduced the Bicycle Commuters Benefit Act of 2006, S. 2635, on April 24, 2006.
• The bill extends the fringe benefit that employers can offer their employees for commuting by public transit to those who ride their bicycles to and from their jobs.
• Studies have shown that when individuals are offered bike parking and/or access to showers, they are 40% more likely to bike to work.
• S. 2635 is intended to help defray costs of commuting by bike such as: a bike, accessories and safety equipment, life and personal property insurance premiums, locker rental fees, changing and locker facilities, and metro/bus fares for commuting by transit during bad weather.
• S. 2635 is supported by many national and regional bicycling organizations, including Bikes Belong, the League of American Bicyclists, Cycle Oregon, the Washington Area Bicyclist Association, and the Bicycle Transportation Alliance.
• S. 2635 will help reduce traffic congestion, improve air quality, and make neighborhoods more liveable. The federal government can assist in those efforts by promoting bicycle commuting through the existing Transportation Fringe Benefit of the tax code.
• The Congressional Joint Committee on Taxation estimates that S. 2635 could cost up to $78M over the next five years.

Related post:
Sen. Wyden introduces Bicycle Commuters Benefit Act

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