From his perch as one of the two chairmen of the Congressional Bike Caucus, U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., unveiled the “Bikeshare Transit Act” giving local governments more access to federal funding for using bicycles as public transit.
Buchanan teamed up with U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Oreg., the other chairman of the caucus, to bring out the bill on Monday. The bill clears up confusion over whether bikeshare projects, ensuring they are able to receive federal funding.
“Bikeshare programs help people stay active, promote a clean environment and are good for the economy,” Buchanan said. “I’m excited to join Congressman Blumenauer in supporting legislation that will make it easier for more of these programs to receive federal funding.”
“America is in the middle of a bikeshare revolution,” Blumenauer insisted. “Removing barriers faced by new and existing bikeshare programs is important to providing choice and adding value to our existing transportation network.”
With more than 10 million Americans using bikeshare last year, its popularity continues to increase. Under bikeshare, a bike can be rented from one station for a specific period and returned to another station.
Buchanan’s and Blamenauer’s proposal was applauded by leaders from the League of American Bicyclists, People For Bikes, Transportation for America and other groups.
“Bikeshare is proving to be a cost-effective, quick-to-implement transportation solution in a growing number of U.S. cities,” said Tim Blumenthal, the president of People For Bikes. “Many U.S. city bikeshare systems support thousands of rides each day that help reduce road congestion and air pollution while improving health. The best thing about bikeshare is that everyone benefits.”
“Creating a bikeshare system is like building new transit for a fraction of the cost,” said James Corless, the director of Transportation for America. “It gives people another way to get where they need to go quickly and affordably. Especially for communities underserved by transit, services like bikeshare can be a crucial connection to everyday destinations like job and school. Innovative, affordable, and flexible ideas like this make federal dollars go really far, and we commend Representatives Blumenauer and Buchanan's bipartisan Bikeshare Transit Act.”
With between 140--160 members in recent years, the caucus promotes biking, road safety and bike trails. Buchanan replaces former U.S. Rep. Tom Petri, R-Wis., as the Republican co-chair of the caucus last February.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
