House member pedals -- literally -- for transit benefits

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Oregon, an avid bicyclist, Friday helped lead a group of about 75 of his fellow cyclists from Capitol Hill to Reagan National Airport to highlight the benefits of cycling as an alternative means of commuting to work.

Blumenauer also has the gears turning on creating a commuter bicycling benefit similar to other programs for commuters who have parking, car-pooling and transit benefits offered by employers.

If enacted, Blumenauer's Bike Commuter Act would give bike commuters an exemption under the Transportation Fringe Benefit section of the tax code.

"We're making the point that bicycling is serious transportation," Blumenauer said. "At a time when we're worried about an energy crisis, when we're worried about traffic congestion, if just one trip a week was made by a bike instead of a car, we wouldn't have to worry about OPEC. It would make a huge difference in our communities."

Blumenauer said that some 40 percent of daily automobile trips are within two miles of the driver's home, making bicycling an attractive and much more environmentally friendly alternative.

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