As challenging as the last few months have been due to COVID-19, there has been a silver lining in that more people are riding there bikes and rediscovering the fun, freedom and health benefits that cycling provides! In addition, most bike shops have seen a bump in sales with new customers that have not ridden their bikes in years and need repairs to their old bikes or want to purchase a new bike! This is great news for the bike industry and the hopefully the future of cycling.
PeopleForBikes has asked “The billion-dollar question: How do we keep it going?” And of course, they have solutions!
PeopleForBikes staff, board of directors and our many industry volunteer leaders are on it. We’re seizing immediate congressional opportunities, working with cities to keep streets open to bikes, clearing the way to build safer infrastructure, advocating for small business economic relief and tariff exclusions and producing timely, actionable business intelligence. We are focused on growing bicycling and bike businesses right now and into the future.
As the world emerges from COVID-19, we want government leaders at all levels to recognize and prioritize the critical roles bikes can play in our communities. Our collective goal is to make bikes an essential and prominent part of all aspects of economic recovery and a vibrant component of daily living.
A few things we’re working on:
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Now — Boosting Federal Funding for Bikes: Congress is negotiating a bill to fund our nation’s transportation projects for the next five years, potentially investing almost $10 billion in biking and walking. The bill would include an important provision to help connect disjointed bike paths and lanes into more complete bicycle networks. The bill would also position bicycling as part of sustainability programs that boost the health of our cities and planet.
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Near Term — As Your City Re-Opens, Speak Up for Bikes: Mayors and city staff are re-thinking many aspects of city life and bicycles can play an important role in economic recovery. The demand for safe and quiet streets, lower speed limits, protected bike lanes and family-friendly routes is high. Residents are loving the freedom, mental health benefits and socially distanced exercise that bicycling provides. We encourage you to write your city officials, form alliances with like-minded individuals and groups or just make a quick phone call. We’re here to help.
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Long Term — More Bike Riding for Better Cities: As our communities emerge from COVID-19, our daily lives will be very different. Our goal is to make bikes an integral part of our culture and build on the resurgence of bicycling in cities big and small. Stay tuned to our COVID industry resources and policy platform and we will keep you informed every step of the way.
