Want to Save Americans Money at the Pump? Invest in Bikes
From PeopleForBikes.org
By: Noa Banayan, PeopleForBikes’ director of federal affairs
The Biden administration and Congress could quickly lower transportation costs for Americans by investing in bike infrastructure and e-bike purchase subsidies, as well as fight inflation by relieving Section 301 tariffs on bicycle imports.
One of the few bipartisan agreements in Congress right now is that a gas tax holiday is a false, shortsighted solution to saving Americans money at the pump. Despite this one area of agreement since President Biden first called for a gas tax holiday in June, his administration is still asking Congress to deliver.
Congress can heed President Biden’s call to save Americans’ real money at the pump by focusing on bikes, not a temporary suspension of a tax on gas. By investing in solutions that make it safe and efficient for all Americans to choose transportation options other than driving, like biking, walking and public transit, we can ensure an affordable and sustainable mobility future.
We need long-term solutions to the energy and inflation crises that we can begin implementing today. If we want stability in our transportation system and energy portfolio, we need to look beyond Band-Aid solutions. We know bikes will never eclipse cars in use, but the United States can’t afford to wait a decade or more for a fully electrified road fleet.
Photo by Denise Jans on Unsplash
