Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Warmer temperatures, longer days and less snow and salt are all necessary conditions for the start of cycling season. Those conditions are inching closer, and more cyclists will be out on the roads commuting.
Last fall, at the other end of the cycling season, the Bicycle Commuter Act was passed as part of a federal bailout of large banks. This act allows for employers to reimburse employees $20 per month for commuting to work on their bikes. In exchange, employers are eligible for matching federal tax credits. Interviews with members of the current bicycle commuter community, composed primarily of non-students and men, indicated they commuted by bicycle simply because they enjoyed the ride. For some, a simple desire to ride to work might not be enough.
Large employers, such as the University and the State of Kansas, should adopt the Bicycle Commuter Act to encourage increased bicycle commuting among new groups.
Many cyclists in the Lawrence and Kansas City areas are excited about the recognition the bill has brought to cycling, but they had mixed feelings about the monetary nature of the bill.
“I see my choice to cycle as a personal choice, without the need for public subsidy,” said Kevin Morris of Kansas City. He expressed interest in other projects that benefited cyclists more directly, such as infrastructure that provided bicycle transportation.
Other cyclists also expressed a desire for a better bike lane system and parking space savings that would result from fewer cars on the road.
Brian Shay, owner of The Recyclery, 711 W. 23rd St., was receptive to the idea.
“I am more than willing to pay my employees for biking to work,” Shay said.
The benefit and opinions on it reveal a divide that exists among cyclists. Cycling, and especially commuting, has long been an exclusive club for people with the time and resources to do so. Cycling to work means being able to live near your employer, possibly having access to different bikes for different conditions and perhaps even having showers available at the workplace.
But to encourage widespread bicycle commuting, the option will have to be made available more widely. Financial reimbursement might allow people — including the employees at The Recyclery, students working on campus or University employees who cannot afford the trek — to commute to work.
For this benefit to be available to University employees, the state will have to add it to its benefit package for state employees. State representatives such as Paul Davis, Barbara Ballard and state senator Marci Francisco should push for the state to adopt this benefit for employees.
In addition, the University should embrace this benefit as a way to reduce traffic on campus, reduce pollution and respond to the interests of employees. If the University, Lawrence’s largest employer, can find a way to offer this benefit to employees, it would be a strong first step in opening up a green, responsible way of commuting to whole new groups of people.
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Comments
Editorial: University should adopt bicycle commuter subsidy
Strongly disagreed. This amounts to yet another tax levied upon individuals who drive. What about people who walk? Should they be subsidized too? I walk to work every day.
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