Some things in life just aren't fair; federal transit benefits are one of them. Those feds who ride the subway to work are eligible to receive up to $110 a month in free rides. Those who ride their bikes to work and help keep the air a little cleaner are only eligible for a sweaty pair of socks and a pat on the back. But all may be changing if Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) gets his way.
Blumenauer has fought since 2001 to enact legislation granting financial incentives to bicycle commuters. His latest bill, H. Con. Res. 305: "Recognizing the importance of bicycling in transportation and recreation," calls for federal tax or funding incentives to:
(i) States that adopt motor vehicle laws that protect the rights of bicyclists to share the road;
(ii) businesses that expand bicycle-friendly programs for their employees;
(iii)
the health care industry to develop more member discount programs, that
target increased physical activity such as bicycling and walking; and
(iv)
provide bicycle commuters the transportation fringe benefits currently
provided to people who commute by car or mass transit.
The bill passed the House in May and is awaiting
Senate approval.
"For me, doing something to reward people who burn calories instead
of fossil fuel is a way to start leveling the playing field and give
people
choices for what’s right for them," Blumenauer told the Detroit Free Press.
Correction: In a previous version of this article, we erred in reporting that NIH was providing biking benefits to their employees in the form of gift certificates redeemable for items at bike shops around the Bethesda, MD area. In reality, employees at NIH have created their own benefit system outside of the influence of the federal government.
According to Angela Atwood-Moore, an NIH biologist who helped inspire the program, "the NIH Bicycle Commuter Club, a volunteer organization, has
worked out an agreement (independent of any official NIH involvement)
with several local bike shops who honor "coupons" towards bike-related
purchases" for miles logged by bikers in their commute to work. Those who ride more miles will receive more "biking bucks" to pay for things like tires, helmets, and shoes at the bike shops.
So despite a robust desire to get the federal government to pay transit benefits to those who opt not to metro to work and hop on a bike instead, it's the local bike shops that are providing some incentives for biker.
"The participating bike shops voluntarily take a hit to reward
participating cyclists for the bike commuting miles they log in the
program," said Atwood-Moore.
Perhaps in the future, these bikers will be granted similar benefits from the government.
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