We advance trade policies for bicycle manufacturing that create stability in the global trade environment so that U.S. bike companies can proactively plan their supply chains, adjust their production to meet demand, use their capital to invest in business expansion, hire new employees and increase wages.

We fight bills and measures that would increase taxes and support those that decrease taxes on businesses. We support a taxation policy that recognizes the considerable potential of the bicycle to help achieve domestic goals and support other U.S. policies directed at improving the environment and advance incentives such as tax credits, tax deductions or interest-free loans for businesses.

We work to foster a positive business environment through state legislation toward progressive electric bicycle laws and state offices of outdoor recreation. Progressive electric bicycle laws ensure that consumers and retailers are not confused about their state’s electric bicycle laws and that electric bicycles are regulated similarly to traditional bicycles. States that have offices of outdoor recreation create new government positions focused on growing the outdoor recreation industry, managing the substantial contributions that this sector brings to their economies and defending the outdoor industry’s interests.

We closely monitor federal and state legislation that regulates the use of toxic chemicals, especially in children’s products, to ensure they don’t have a negative impact on the bicycle industry. While we understand the public health concerns related to the use of chemicals in bicycles and bicycle components, we work to exempt those products from legislation further regulating manufacturing, especially products that pose little or no exposure risk.

PeopleForBikes members directly employ a large workforce involved in all facets of the bike industry, but we understand that the pipeline of well-paying, professional jobs in research and development, design, engineering, marketing and sales requires more diversity. We are creating best practices to support workforce development and diversification.

Transportation is responsible for 37.8% of all carbon emissions in the United States. Just under 60% of that transportation-related CO2 is generated by passenger cars, SUVs and minivans. Electrification and clean, renewable power are critical tools to reduce transportation emissions in the long run, but the above figures show that to reduce the worst effects of climate change, we must grow active transportation options that help reduce car trips. 

Electric bicycles have a unique capacity to help in this effort. A 2019 study from the Transportation Research and Education Center found that if electric bicycle usage increased by 15% across the U.S., we could reduce an estimated 11% of transportation-related CO2 emissions. The authors found that of every 100 utilitarian miles traveled by electric bicycle (trips made for purposes other than recreation or exercise), 72.4 of those miles would have been traveled by car. In other words, electric bicycles replaced 72.4% of car miles that would have been taken for strictly practical purposes.

Public interest in electric bicycles is at an all-time high — both electric and traditional bicycle use skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic as people sought ways to safely get outside for exercise and social time, and electric bicycle sales have seen notable increases in recent years. How can we leverage this popularity and get even more people out of their cars and onto electric bicycles more often? Research suggests that electric bicycle purchase subsidies or tax credits, like those proposed in the E-BIKE Act, alongside bike parking and charging stations designed for electric bicycles, moderate changes to street designs that calm traffic, protected bike lanes to increase real and perceived safety and a boost in municipal electric bicycle share programs all encourage more people to take more trips by bike and fewer by car, as well as help legitimize bikes as a practical form of transportation. 

President Biden’s recent far-reaching executive order to combat climate change mandates an all-government approach that engages all federal agencies in an effort to mitigate climate change and requires all federal infrastructure investments to reduce climate pollution. The order also directs federal agencies to accelerate near-term efforts to quickly reduce emissions and emphasizes the opportunities that climate mitigation efforts offer for economic stimulus. 

Both traditional bikes and electric bicycles in particular are highly effective tools that can be deployed across many sectors to address related and overlapping climate and economic issues now and in the future. Estimates show that active transportation infrastructure creates 17 jobs per $1 million dollars spent — more jobs than for other transportation projects, including roads. That means we can create jobs for economic recovery while at the same time creating facilities that are, by their nature, green and sustainable, serving both practical and recreational needs. Getting outdoors and moving on a bicycle boosts physical well-being and mental health. At the same time, even small shifts in bicycling rates can improve air quality, helping to offset and reduce rates of chronic conditions related to poor air quality, like asthma. Protected infrastructure and updated road design yield dramatic increases in safety in the form of fewer serious injuries and fatalities for people who bike, walk and occupy vehicles. 

There’s also a recreational aspect. President Biden’s executive order includes a 30x30 plan to conserve and restore 30% of U.S. land and water by 2030 to protect biodiversity and slow extinction rates. The order establishes a Civilian Climate Corps to do the work. As with its New Deal-era predecessor, the Civilian Conservation Corps, the work of expanding and protecting our natural resources can easily go hand-in-hand with creating more opportunities for outdoor recreation, spurring low-carbon economic development like bike tourism when we give Americans more places to ride. 

We have reached a critical all-hands-on-deck moment when it comes to climate change, and we need to move fast. Electric bicycles are not the only solution to slow and reverse climate change, but they are one of our best bets to jumpstart important work to curb carbon emissions quickly and effectively. 

Electric Bicycles Can Play a Big Role in Combating Climate Change

The first 100 days of the Biden administration and the start of the 117th Congress will be packed with agency nomination hearings, a Senate impeachment trial, numerous executive orders and a legislative effort to set the agenda of the new Democratic majority. We expect Congress and the Biden administration to deliver another COVID-19 relief and stimulus package soon, as well as expand vaccine distribution. After that, we could see a range of top legislative priorities, including a package focused on climate or infrastructure. Read on to find out what these plans and policy goals can mean for bikes. 

Federal nominations most relevant to the bicycle industry:

Secretary Pete Buttigieg will almost certainly be confirmed to the top role in the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) before the end of January. We’re asking the department to consider appointing an active transportation czar or, with support from Congress, establish an Active Transportation Administration to elevate the demand for safe, connected and accessible bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure. The Biden administration is charging every cabinet position to prioritize climate change, and the DOT is no exception. We’re working to ensure that bicycles and active transportation infrastructure are meaningfully included in the department’s fight to lower carbon emissions. 

President Biden’s nominee for Deputy Secretary at USDOT, Polly Trottenberg, returns to the department after serving as Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy under President Obama and leading New York’s DOT. Her unmatched expertise in transportation policy and experience as a civil servant will support our ambitious goals for safety, climate resiliency and accessibility in multi-modal transportation systems. 

Congresswoman Deb Haaland (D-NM) is the Secretary-designate for the Department of the Interior (DOI) and will soon undergo the confirmation hearing process. We’re excited for this historic and important nomination of the first Native American to take the helm at the DOI, overseeing lands under the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife, Bureau of Indian Affairs and more. We’re asking her to support trail users in public lands across the country and recognize the growing use of electric bicycles for recreation. We’re looking forward to working with the DOI to make our federal public lands more accessible and welcoming for all Americans, especially communities historically marginalized in outdoor spaces. 

Katherine Tai, former chief lawyer on trade to the Chairman and Democratic Members of the Committee on Ways and Means, is the nominee for the office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR). The USTR oversees all U.S. trade policies — an area with consequential influence on the bike industry. We’re looking forward to working with her and the Biden administration to stabilize U.S.-China trade relations and offer relief to American bike businesses burdened by Section 301 tariffs. 

President Biden’s campaign slogan was to “Build Back Better,” and he made his commitment to American infrastructure a priority for these first 100 days. While the current transportation funding bill expires on Sept. 30, we expect Congress to take up a transportation and infrastructure package in the next few months. We’re asking Congress to prioritize bicycle infrastructure as a means to lower carbon emissions, revitalize local economies and make roads safer. We are also asking them to offer new incentives for purchasing electric bicycles and biking to work, alongside significant increases in funding for connected active transportation infrastructure. 

Interested in learning more about PeopleForBikes’ federal policy work? Reach out to Federal Affairs Manager Noa Banayan at noa@peopleforbikes.org. 

What to Expect in the First 100 Days of the New Administration and Congress

In March 1933, only three weeks into his first term, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt proposed a bill to Congress to create the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). Congress funded the CCC in April, and by summer thousands of unemployed young men were enrolled in the program that would put them to work on environmental conservation projects to improve public lands and parks across the nation. Over the next nine years, at least 3 million enrollees fought forest fires, planted trees and built fish rearing ponds, bridges and campground facilities, gaining valuable job skills and education. The CCC rebuilt and renewed America’s national parks, a legacy that endures nearly a century later.

The economic challenges our country faces today are substantial, much like those of 1933. What if we founded a new CCC? One that places bikes at the forefront of its work, mobilizing their power to reshape our nation’s cities and towns while at the same time creating jobs, boosting the economy and creating new opportunities for sustainable transportation.

Lawmakers have recently drafted bills for inclusion in a new stimulus package with CCC-like components that would make big investments in outdoor recreation and public open spaces. The bills typically intend to jumpstart shovel-ready projects that have been placed on the back burner due to a lack of funding. Given that, by some estimates, every $1 million spent in wilderness restoration and outdoor recreation infrastructure generates up to 33 jobs, it’s hard to think of a better federal investment in job creation or economic stimulus.

At the 10,000-foot level, a bike-centric CCC — let’s call it a bike corps — could focus on the recreation and transportation opportunities bikes provide in both urban and rural communities, offering local people living-wage jobs that could enhance their skills and their communities, while also pumping money into local economies. It would promote active transportation and create more inclusive opportunities for biking by better connecting citizens to schools, homes, healthcare, jobs and each other. 

In the near term, a bike corps could start with shovel-ready and close-at-hand projects. One such project — accelerating the completion of the 3,700-mile Great American Rail Trail, a network of trails stretching from the tiny West Coast community of La Push, Washington to the nation’s capitol in Washington, D.C. Corps workers could close key gaps and build and refurbish infrastructure that supports bike tourism and travel, such as camping and lodging facilities, priming communities from coast to coast for a boom in bike tourism. 

Where trails pass through towns and urban areas, the bike corps could build or restore rest stops, bike repair stations and local trailside parks and facilities. From the inception of the corps, projects could be prioritized in historically underserved neighborhoods and complement existing infrastructure projects.

At the local level, a bike corps could create well-connected networks of protected bike lanes in thousands of cities and towns across the country. Connecting these networks to local and regional trail systems could feed bike tourism while giving more Americans the opportunity to try biking for transportation, in turn further stoking local economies. Recent studies suggest that retail sales increase by more than 10% and food sales increase by more than 50% on streets with newly installed bike lanes, significantly higher than increases on nearby streets. 

At the same time, these new connections could relieve households from some or all of the financial costs demanded by car ownership (an average of $9,561 per year, according to AAA) by making biking a safer, more reliable option for transportation. Finally, allowing citizens to comfortably replace even a modest number of shorter car trips with bike trips would reduce carbon emissions and increase physical activity, in turn building healthier communities and reducing the cost of medical care.

On the jobs front, all of these projects could connect bike corps crew members with union apprenticeships in construction and trades, corporate apprenticeships in related fields like architecture, planning or civil engineering or to a multitude of jobs in outdoor recreation, opening up these professions to populations that have traditionally faced high barriers to entry. 

Ultimately, a bike corps could connect communities, cities and our country, thanks to the help of bicycles. Giving hundreds of millions of Americans the ability to ride down their street, through their communities, onto a trail and into the great outdoors would be a legacy as profound and lasting as the one President Roosevelt’s CCC left on our national parks. 

What a Modern Civilian Conservation Corps Could Do for Bikes

The COVID-19 pandemic brought unexpected challenges to the health, livelihood and well-being of communities across the world last year. Working, shopping and getting around fundamentally changed amidst global efforts to control the spread of the virus.

Adapting to a “new normal,” people turned to the outdoors for exercise, mental relaxation and to help escape the stress caused by the new patterns of daily life. By May 2020, bicycling was one of the most popular forms of recreation and exercise in cities around the world.

Data collected by PeopleForBikes’ new Business Intelligence Hub mirrored the headlines — Americans were riding bikes at unprecedented levels, increased sales of bicycles left store shelves and bike shops critically low of inventory and cities were closing streets to make way for this surge in bicycling.

These insights proved useful as communities navigated the unique landscape that COVID-19 presented, but were often anecdotal and lacked the in-depth understanding of how riders and city leaders were responding to the changing constraints caused by the pandemic.

In response, PeopleForBikes launched two simultaneous studies at the end of 2020 to better understand how personal riding and purchasing habits changed during the pandemic, as well as what cities did to improve and create spaces for bikes and other forms of active transportation.  

Below are six research-based observations about how bicycling fared during the pandemic and what we can do to build momentum in 2021.

1. During the COVID-19 pandemic, 10% of American adults engaged with bicycling in a new way.

Since 2009, bicycling rates in the U.S. have been relatively stable, but 2020 saw a surge in bicycling rates across all demographics. Automated bike-counters, like those used by Eco-Counter, registered a significant increase in rides. 

Since March, 4% of the U.S. population (ages 18 and older) rode a bike for the first time in one or more years, or for the first time ever. An additional 6% participated in a different type of bicycling during the pandemic, trying indoor riding or riding their bike for transportation.

2. Approximately 200 U.S. cities changed the functionality of their streets to accommodate increased outdoor activity.

At the request of community members, local elected officials led the charge to change city streets as a way of promoting social distancing for those biking and walking. Overwhelmingly, 83% of cities indicated a high level of preparedness, asserting they had the necessary technical guidance and procedures in place to assist in implementing selected measures.

By June, however, city leaders began to reprioritize their efforts to support local businesses and restaurants. While these expanded measures — like slowing traffic and closing automobile lanes — did tangentially benefit cycling, fewer than half of cities advanced measures specifically designed to sustain increased levels of bicycling.

3. New riders were motivated to ride because they enjoy exercising and being healthy (56%), or found bicycling a fun, safe way to interact with others while remaining socially distanced (43%).

Before the pandemic, new riders indicated a lack of time (35%) as the primary reason why they weren’t riding bikes. However, when social distancing measures and stay-at-home orders were enacted, many needed a way to exercise, wanted to get out of the house or searched for ways to safely socialize with friends and family.

New riders were more likely to be motivated to ride by the socialization that bicycling offers (43%) compared to many existing riders (18%) who enjoy the solitude of riding their bike. Those who started riding during the pandemic were more likely than existing riders to engage with bicycling because bike rides offer stress relief (57%) and a way to relax (36%). 

4. In nearly half of American cities, a lack of community engagement jeopardized the success of measures taken to support biking during the pandemic.

Only 58% of cities engaged in a public input process before implementation of any measures, temporary or permanent, and few cities relied on any official planning documents or emergency preparedness policies to guide decision makers on the appropriate actions to take.

Nearly half of cities that implemented new projects faced vocal opposition to those changes. Of those cities, about one-third removed or significantly altered their projects in response to cited objections of inconveniencing drivers, failing to perform effective public outreach or interfering with business operations.

On average, cities were only able to complete two-thirds of the projects they publicly committed to creating in response to the pandemic.  

5. Those who started riding during the pandemic recruited others to ride and plan to stick with bicycling in 2021.

Compared to existing riders, new riders were more likely to invite their friends or family to join them for a bicycle ride during the pandemic. Those who were invited to ride were twice as likely to be a beginner or infrequent rider.  

In the coming year, new riders expect to continue riding. The majority of those new to indoor riding (75%), commuting by bicycle (75%), riding for recreation (73%) and riding for transportation (63%) plan to continue riding at least once per week in the coming year. 

6. 86% of cities consider the measures taken to support biking during COVID-19 as critical components of their future mobility or recreation networks.

Almost all cities (96%) reported increased levels of riding, prompting a renewed sense of optimism and necessity to make biking a part of future emergency preparedness plans, expanded recreational access policies and an essential component of every transportation network.

That optimism, however, is tempered by an uncertain future: 59% of cities advise that expected financial restrictions could result in staffing reductions, further limiting the ability to sustain or implement future measures supporting this work.

Download a summary of our research findings here.

From Sept. 29 to Oct. 1, nearly 500 attendees gathered for the PeopleForBikes’ 2020 Virtual Bicycle Leadership Conference (VBLC) to discuss and learn about diversity, equity and inclusion in the bike industry, e-bike market adoption, sales and ridership data, and continuing the momentum of the current boom in bicycling. 

Our annual industry event brought together global leaders for an agenda packed with virtual keynotes, presentations, panels, training sessions and interactive networking experiences.

Here are just some of the most memorable quotes from the conference:

“In a time that is uncertain, people are looking for products and experiences that bring them certainty and ground them in reality. Consumers are yearning for brands that create an emotional connection and provide comfort in uncomfortable times.” – David Kahan, Chief Executive Officer, Birkenstock Americas 

“All other issues surrounding e-bikes are dwarfed by the urgent need for policies that support e-bikes and e-bike use. We need federal, state and local resources to incentivize people to ride e-bikes and make it easy for them to ride.” – Ian Smith, Customer Experience and Central Operations, Bicycle Transit Systems

“Bring diversity into your organization like you’d build a bike. If you build a bike for yourself and then give it to someone else, it won’t fit. The seat is too high, the reach is too long, the tires aren’t right. Bring people in and let them build their own bike.” – Sam Scipio, Road, Gravel and Mountain Bike Rider and Racer, Liv Racing Athlete

“Bikes don’t discriminate, people do. There is no ‘shut up and bike’ — we must speak up about the things we see and hear that we know are wrong. Use your power to be the one to create change, don’t wait for someone else to do it.” – Tamika Butler, Principal + Founder of Tamika L. Butler Consulting

“Make your customer the hero of your story, not your brand.” – Kristin Spiotto, Storybrand Facilitator

“The tools we use are only as good as the members that come together to combine data and influence to support and grow the bike industry.” – Chris Speyer, Vice President Product Merchandising, REI Co-op and Chair of PeopleForBikes Coalition Board

Day Two of the VBLC, sponsored by SRAM, was dedicated to Mobility Justice and Anti-Racism.

Here are tools to improve diversity, equity and inclusion in your workplace and start taking steps to help build an anti-racist bike industry.

“Ghosts of Football Past” by Radiolab – Jim Thorpe podcast episode

“13th” Filmmaker Ava DuVernay explores the history of racial inequality in the United States, focusing on the fact that the nation’s prisons are disproportionately filled with African-Americans

“Let the Fire Burn” MOVE Bombing movie

The Importance of Land Acknowledgement by Rene Hutchens

The success of this year’s VBLC is due largely in part to the support of our sponsors and coalition members. In addition to receiving exclusive access to ongoing educational events, PeopleForBikes Coalition members gain access to the most up-to-date industry data and insights, policy representation, owner’s manual, Ride Spot and sustainability and safety resources. Help support our shared mission to get more people on bikes more often by becoming a PeopleForBikes Coalition member today.

Highlights from the 2020 Virtual Bicycle Leadership Conference

The bike is often seen as a sustainability tool to help lower emissions rates in people’s personal lives. For example, choosing to ride a bike saves 250g/km of CO2 compared to driving a car. While the benefits of going by bike are clear, the bike industry overall still struggles to unpack what sustainability means in terms of the bike business. 

Over the past year, the PeopleForBikes Coalition has grown and we have continued our work with numerous subcommittees and boards staffed by bike industry professionals. During this time, conversations and directives based on improving sustainability within the industry have become a large area of focus. These conversations, along with the realization that we can improve existing business practices, led PeopleForBikes to create a Sustainability Working Group (SWG). This group, led by 20 Coalition members, is volunteer-based and focused on providing insight and progress towards a more sustainable bike industry. 

As part of the Sustainability Working Group’s first efforts, we worked with an Environmental Defense Fund Climate Corps fellow to understand more about sustainability in general and to better inform our path forward. “Historically, other environmental problems [in the bike industry] have not been addressed because bike use itself is considered to be sustainable,” said EDF Climate Corps Fellow Isabelle Branco-Lo. “Manufacturing and distributing a bike can still have severe environmental impacts. Raw materials extraction, toxic manufacturing processes, excess packaging, transportation emissions and product waste are all areas where the bike industry still has sufficient room to improve.” 

Through Branco-Lo’s findings and consultation, the Sustainability Working Group is discussing and disseminating tactics that can help improve sustainability and resiliency efforts as an industry. 

To start, the information we learned from Branco-Lo calls for more involvement and coordination in the compilation of an index of dangerous chemicals used in the manufacturing processes and end user operation of bicycles. To accomplish this, we established a Restricted Substances List (RSL) Task Force made up of engineering and product experts at 15 PeopleForBikes Coalition member organizations. Currently, the group is concentrating on compiling an RSL to affect the supply chain and global management of restricted substances related to hard goods in the bike industry. 

As a benefit of collaboration between outdoor industry partners, we are also excited to announce that current PeopleForBikes Coalition members will have access to the Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) Climate Action Corps (CAC) at the same price as an OIA member. Companies that join commit to measure, plan and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and share their progress annually. The CAC demystifies and simplifies sustainability guidance with low- or no-cost strategies as many companies are already consistently strapped with day-to-day operations. Joining together on sustainability and climate change efforts show a commitment to corporate social responsibility and being a steward of the world that our products are enjoyed in. 

Group members have shared why they joined the SWG and what their companies are doing in regards to sustainability in preliminary meetings. Chris Sautter, product development center director at Yakima, provided insight from Yakima’s perspective as to why joining this group was is important:

“At Yakima, we see sustainability as a journey not a destination, and every journey is better with friends and colleagues. Being part of both the OIA and PFB Sustainability Working Groups has been incredibly helpful for us as we assess our status, set our goals, and make progress. 2020 is the year that we planned to start measuring Yakima’s GHG emissions and the Climate Action Corps was founded at the perfect time to help facilitate this effort. Measuring, goal setting and GHG reduction are all challenging, but it has been more manageable with the support of the CAC and a cohort of peers in the bike and outdoor industries. The framework, tools and industry knowledge provided through the CAC has already proven essential to our progress in addressing GHG emissions.”

All of this work has uncovered exciting opportunities and shown how daunting the task of improving sustainability will be. The bike industry has a long way to go, but with collaboration and continued efforts to learn and implement sound sustainability and climate change initiatives, we can make bicycling more sustainable and climate friendly than it is already.

If you are a PeopleForBikes member and are interested in joining the Sustainability Working Group, or the Restricted Substances List Task Force, please let us know by contacting ericb@peopleforbikes.org.

PeopleForBikes Creates Sustainability Working Group for a Better, Cleaner Bike Industry

Policy

Growing the Bike Industry

Proactively Addressing Trade and Supply Chain Challenges

Decreasing Tax Burdens on Bike Businesses

Passing Progressive Electric Bicycle Legislation and Establishing Offices of Outdoor Recreation in All 50 States

Protecting the Industry from Troublesome Chemicals Legislation

Advancing Progressive Workforce Development Practices