How has the bike industry matured in regard to political lobbying?
The short answer is, we now know the drill. We understand how Congress works; the committee system, the timetable of legislation, the hearing process and how the election cycle affects things. A few years ago, Bikes Belong formed a political action committee called BikesPAC. We donate money to support the re-election campaigns of members of Congress who support bicycling. We donate equally to Republicans and Democrats. We are “bike partisan,” as Congressman Earl Blumenauer of Oregon likes to say. BikesPAC has worked well for us. It’s a relatively small PAC, but it has helped build awareness of Bikes Belong and key bike issues on Capitol Hill. Bikes Belong is only part of the bicycling political lobbying team. Experts from the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, the League of American Bicyclists, the Thunderhead Alliance, IMBA, and other national groups are key members of our team. We help with actual lobbying and we serve as a major financial supporter of this work. BR: How can readers of bik
