CYCLING ADVOCACY
Making Our Voices Heard
We ride in an environment where we are a minority, where we don't control the roads and enact the laws. We spend much of our riding negotiating with other users (motorists, mainly) of these roads.
But while we can't get laws enacted on our own, we can influence those laws that do get enacted. And we can affect how motorists perceive us. Cycling is gaining in popularity every day. It's important that we take an active role in protecting our right to the road and to a fair share of transportation tax dollars.
This section of the website, and the accompanying blog section, will be devoted to issues, both local and national, that affect us as cyclists. Hopefully, you will find them of interest and, even more importantly, that they will cause you to become more involved in being an advocate for cycling.
Bike Commuter Tax Provision
On May 21, 2008, prior to the Memorial Day recess,
the House passed H.R. 6049, the Renewable Energy and Job Creation Act of 2008. Included in the legislation is a $20 per
month transportation fringe benefit for bicycle commuters to cover costs of commuting by bike.
L.A.B. expects that the Senate finance committee will take up the measure during the week of June 2nd, and would like to have the Senators who previously co-sponsored S. 858 (Bicycle Commuters Benefit Act 2007), sign onto a joint letter, being distributed by Senator Wyden, to the Chair and Ranking Member of the Finance Committee asking them to adopt the House provision.
The exact wording of this section of the resolution is as follows:
Fringe Benefit for Bicycle Commuters. This bill allows employers to provide employees that commute to work using a bicycle
limited fringe benefits to offset the costs of such commuting (e.g., bicycle storage). This proposal is expected to cost $10
million over 10 years.
Please take the time to urge our senators to support this resolution. Either contact them directly or do so through the League's website.
It's Back! Quick Release Legislation Re-introduced
NJ State Assemblyman Paul Moriarity has reintroduced the Quick Release Bill. This proposed
legislation was first filed in 2007 and the seeming intent was to prevent quick release mechanisms being
installed on children's bicycles. However, the legislation was poorly worded and could very easily be
interpreted to mean that no bicycles equipped with a quick release mechanism could be sold in the state
of New Jersey.
The proposed legislation prompted an immediate outcry from cycling advocacy organizations nation-wide and was subsequently withdrawn. It has now been re-introduced, according to John Boyle, Advocacy Director of the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia. Mr. Boyle notes that the bicycle industry is prepared for the legislation this time around, and have hired a lobbyist in Trenton.
This concerns most of us riding bicycles in New Jersey and we will need to give our active, and vocal, support to those cycling advocates who will be working to either have this pending legislation rejected or amended to deal specifically with the issue at hand: safety in children's bicycles.
A co-sponsor of this legislation is one of our local Bergen County legislators, Joan M Voss
The Bicycle Coalition of North Jersey?
Philadelphia has one. So does Maine, Texas, New Mexico, California, etc. New York City has its Bike NY. But if there is a similar organization in northern New Jersey, it is exceedingly well hidden. An internet search, "Bicycle Coalition of New Jersey" brings up the Philadelphia organization, so South Jersey is being served to some extent. There is also an organization in Ocean Grove called WalkBike New Jersey that I am aware of and will be contacting. However, nothing for Northern New Jersey. Do you agree with me that there should be?
Several of our local bicycle clubs do an admirable job of keeping their membership aware of cycling advocacy issues but perhaps a separate organization, coordinating their efforts, would better serve cyclists needs in this area. What do you think? Anyone up for working together on creating such an organization? Let me know...