Shift Up Podcast: What happens now the U.S. has lost its bike commute benefits?

The latest Shift Up Strategies podcast is now live, with this episode tackling the ramifications of recently revealed 2019 budgets, which have proven a big blow to active travel advocates thanks largely to the removal of tax credits.

This episode’s guests are Amilia Neptune, the director of Bike League’s Bicycle Friendly America Programme and Ken Mcleod the Policy Director at Bike League.

“The parking benefit costs the US taxpayer about $2 billion per year and the transit benefit $1 billion. In the grand scheme of things, the bike commuter benefit was really small at less than $5 million and if someone was going to use the bike commuter benefit they had to not use the other benefits, both of which are more than ten times the value of the bike benefit,” outlines Mcleod as the discussion gets underway on the limited cost of the active travel benefit.

Estimated to have been taken up by less than 40,000 people, the bike benefit has needed refinement for some time, according to Mcleod, who suggests that in the future such a benefit should grow to include bike share membership access. Bike share and its affect on the bike business was the topic of the last podcast for those who missed it.

Sticking with the value for money that cycling schemes deliver, the TIGER programme had proved popular, with an average of 12 applications for every grant awarded, with costs on delivery negligable up against other transport projects, but with far greater returns. Cycling’s immense value for money as a transport form is well documented, but often ignored when dishing out cash by Governments and local authorities.

People for Bikes has thus far outlined that it will oppose detrimental changes to bike-friendly legislation as it passes through Congress.

To learn more about the proposed changes and the scope for the future, tune in to the latest episode by hitting play below: