On the recordMarch 5, 2013
As we wait for the Congress and administration to deal with how to do business differently for defense, for health care, for the Tax Code, we can take a break today as we welcome over 750 men and women from every State in the Union who are here for the 14th Annual Bike Summit. They represent, as you might expect, people from cycling clubs and the mountain bike industry. There are also dedicated recreational cyclists, those who are involved with bike tourism, which has become very big business, by the way. And speaking of business, there are representatives of bicycle repair, bicycle manufacturers, and others who design, manufacture, and sell equipment and apparel. Bicycles mean business, in my hometown alone over $150 million of economic activity in a year, employing over 1,000 people. As the Bike Summit attendees visit Capitol Hill later this week, we will have an opportunity to hear from people of all ages, all walks of life, communities large and small. They are firm in the belief that the Federal Government should be a stronger partner in capitalizing on the most efficient form of urban transportation ever designed. Bicycles burn calories, not fossil fuel, and take up a 10th of the space of a car. More importantly, for those who drive, every bicycle in the protected bike lane next to you is not a car in front of you or competing for a scarce parking space.…
