Just wanted to send out a thank you to Matt Logan, Robbie Webber, Carin
Bringleson, and Brad Herrick for helping my reporter David Douglas and me get
this story on the airwaves and on the web. :)
If you missed it... text of the story is below. If you would like to view the
story, check out www.channel3000.com and scroll down more than half way down
the screen to the News 3 video portion of the page and click on Tax Incentives
For Bikers. Again... I hope if there's any stories out there you think should
be covered, bicycle related or not related... feel free to contact me at [EMAIL
PROTECTED] or at [EMAIL PROTECTED] I'll do my best to work on getting the
story covered. :D ~Della Haugen Bicyclist and Photojournalist for WISC-TV.
MADISON, Wis. -- The federal government's $700
billion bailout passed almost a week ago, and there's more in the
so-called rescue plan legislation than helping the nation's financial
sector.One measure of the legislation contains an incentive for bicyclists,
WISC-TV reported.When
Congress pushed the package through last week, lawmakers lumped in some
other less high-profile projects. One of them gives a tax break to
bicyclists if they ride to work.For Matt Logan, his life is something like that
of a postman; no kind of weather gets in his way."I ride all year -- even
through this winter. I've been riding for 10 years," Logan said.He said that
he's committed to commuting on his bike through whatever Mother Nature throws
at him."(The)
first winter I was here, someone laughed at me thinking I'd be able to
ride through the winter, but I've learned to deal with it."Other bicyclists are
less committed."I'm just a summer rider," said Brad Herrick.But he and others
said that they're no less excited about Congress's decision to extend fringe
commuting benefits to bicyclists."In
the past, if your employer offered a benefit, they could take out
pre-tax costs for you to park in a garage, or to use a vanpool," said
Robbie Webber, a bicycle advocate.Now if an employer signs a company up, it can
put up to $20 a month back in riders' pockets."I
think it's great. I think anything that's going to promote bicycle
commuting is a step in the right direction," said bike commuter Carin
Bringleson.The money can be used for anything from a place to
park a bike in the winter to a new tube for a tire. Some cyclists said
that it's a great way to pay them back and get more people riding,
WISC-TV reported.Riders said that the money will surely help"Anything that
would help me to commute to work on my wheels would be very helpful," Herrick
said."It's definitely a fairness issue to all of this," Logan said. "It's kind
of been a gripe that a lot of bicyclists has had."Some of the bicyclists said
that this small action by the government might just make the world a better
place."People
who bike to work take fewer sick days, they're often are more
productive, they feel better, and so it's good for everybody," Webber
said.The new federal tax break starts on Jan. 1. The money can also go toward
paying for bike gear, racks, day lockers and showers.Exactly how companies can
sign up is still being worked out, officials said.The
money to fund this project is relatively meager in comparison to
benefits for some drivers. The government will spend about $1 million a
year on the new tax breaks whereas it spends $4.4 billion annually for
the parking and transit benefits.Stay tuned to WISC-TV and Channel 3000 for
continuing coverage.For More Info:
For more information on the bicycle commuter tax provision, click here: Bicycle
Commuter Tax Provision
To learn more about a local dedicated to making Madison a better place to bike,
click here: Green Streets Madison
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