Kavanagh & New York Officials Back Bicycle-Friendly Provisions of Federal 'Moving Forward Act'

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July 24, 2020

Dear Senator Schumer and Gillibrand:

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Moving Forward Act, H.R. 2, a $1.5 trillion plan to rebuild America’s transportation infrastructure on June 26. A vital part of the Moving Forward Act for New York City is that it would extend commuter tax benefits to include bikes, e-bikes, and bike share memberships. Specifically, it would provide riders with a pre-tax benefit of up to $54 a month to cover commuting costs.

As elected officials representing New York City, we thank you for being champions of public transportation and want to add our support to this proposal if it comes to the U.S. Senate.

New York is a place of particular need for these transportation investments, as we are always faced with challenges related to commuter congestion and advocating for alternatives to traditional transportation. In normal times, we struggle with car-jammed streets, and crumbling and crowded subways, let alone in times when we are trying to social distance amid COVID-19. Bicycling is a way to alleviate the crowds underground and not add more cars to our lanes of traffic in the city.

In New York City, with 1,301 lane miles of bike lanes, approximately nine hundred thousand (900,000) adults ride regularly, at least several times a month. 50,900 New Yorkers use a bicycle as their primary mode of commuting to work - that is a total of 101,800 bike trips per day. From 2013 to 2018, cycling to work has grown more than two times faster in New York City than it has on average in peer cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, and Washington DC.

As we recover from COVID-19 and start moving forward again, we need to support commuters and ensure their safety. The support in pre-tax benefits included in the Moving Forward Act would assist many New Yorkers, in their bank accounts, in practicing social distancing, and in getting back to work.

We appreciate your continued support for New York City during difficult times. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to us.

Sincerely,

Council Member Keith Powers
Senator Andrew Gounardes
Assembly Member Nily Rozic
Senator Brian Kavanagh
Senator Brad Hoylman
Senator James Skoufis
Senator Jen Metzger
Assembly Member Steve Englebright
Assembly Member Deborah Glick
Assembly Member Dan Quart
Assembly Member Harvey Epstein
Assembly Member Patricia Fahy
Assembly Member Donna Lupardo
Council Majority Leader Laurie Cumbo
Council Member Margaret Chin
Council Member Carlos Menchaca
Council Member Vanessa Gibson
Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez
Council Member Justin Brannan
Council Member Ben Kallos
Council Member Carlina Rivera
Council Member Diana Ayala
Council Member Andy Cohen
Council Member Mark Treyger
Council Member Karen Koslowitz
Council Member Alicka Ampry-Samuel
Council Member Daneek Miller
Council Member Debi Rose
Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer
Council Member Eric Ulrich
Council Member Barry Grodenchik
Council Member Peter Koo
Council Member Alan Maisel
Council Member Antonio Reynoso
Council Member Stephen Levin
Council Member Helen Rosenthal
Council Member Fernando Cabrera