Political Quotes

“Often, here on Capitol Hill, issues large and small get sort of lost in the fog, but it was a pleasure last week to watch some moments of clarity as hundreds of bicycle advocates flooded Capitol Hill delivering a simple, concise, powerful message that makes a difference in terms of how people live in their communities large and small. They were delivering a message that Congress ought to deal meaningfully, in a comprehensive fashion, with the transportation legislation that has been stalled. They were delivering a message of: Don't attack cycling. Embrace it as part of a comprehensive approach to transportation. It is, after all, the most efficient form of urban transportation ever designed. Burning calories instead of fossil fuel doesn't just save you money and make you feel better, it's good for our communities. It's the cheapest, fastest way to reduce congestion and air pollution. A very simple illustration is you can park eight to 10 bicycles where one automobile resides. It's good for the economy. Over $6 billion a year is involved with the cycling industry, employing over a million people. They brought very specific examples. A study from Wisconsin, $1.5 billion of economic impact and 13,200 jobs in an industry that too often does not get its attention. In my community of Portland, Oregon, a medium-sized city, it's $100 million a year in our economy and well over 1,000 jobs. Cycling is also very good for our children and our families.…”