If it is not literally the least that Congress can do to encourage more bike commuting, it's close.
Reps. Joe Crowley (D-NY), Vice Chair of the Democratic Caucus, and Erik Paulsen (R-MN) announced the reintroduction of The Bike to Work Act (H.R. 4104), bipartisan legislation that would amend the Internal Revenue Code to allow workers to use their pre-tax commuter benefits for bike share programs, just as they already can for other forms of transportation.
Originally introduced in the 113th Congress, the bill will give commuters the option to pair bike share with other forms of transit, greatly expanding mobility and improving access to existing transit systems.
When the bike commuter benefit bill was being voted on, the CBO estimated it would cost $2 million in 2008 and $30 million over 10 years. I wonder if they've figured out how much it is actually costing and how many people are taking advantage of it.
Why don't they also look at how much the act could potentially save, in terms of reduced healthcare expenses, lower air pollution, etc.?
We also spend an insane amount on protecting overseas oil-producing areas through military spending. New oil production in the U.S. through fracking is leading to a serious earthquake problem in Oklahoma as well as pollution problems in various areas.
Even if people switch from transit to bikeshare, that's not a bad thing either. It's expensive to maintain and expand transit.
Posted by: Citizen | November 25, 2015 at 01:15 PM