(Source: TreeHugger)

The mayor of Copenhagen reckons Biking to Work in that city is as commonplace as brushing one’s teeth. But, as was evidenced by Utah’s plan to make cycling fashionable, much of the rest of the western world is well served by awareness-raising events like Bike to Work week. This week! In the US anyway. (In the UK Bike Week is 13 to 21 June and Australia’s Ride to Work Day is 14 October 2009)

But who needs some arbitrary date to get motiviated, huh? Dust off that racer, tourer, MTB or clunker in the garage, dig out the pant’s clips, or just tuck your duds into your socks and get pedalling.

EMBASSY OF  SWITZERLAND INVITES YOU TO A BIKE-TO-WORK WEEK FORUM & RECEPTION

Building a Bicycle-Friendly World

As a completely emission-free form of transportation, bicycling is one of the simplest ways to reduce our carbon footprint and make our communities more livable. Yet, to make bicycling feasible requires specific infrastructure, financing, and a commitment of political and public will. Please join Swiss and American experts from government and the private sector to discuss strategies for making our cities and nations more bicycle friendly. Panel presentation will  be followed by audience Q & A and discussion:

When:        

Wednesday, May 13, 2009, 

4:30 p.m. (Doors Open/Bicycling Exhibit)

5:00- 6:30 p.m.(Expert Panel & Discussion)

Reception to follow at Ambassador’s residence

Who:          

Elmar Ledergerber-Mayor of Zurich, Switzerland

Consistently voted “Word’s Most Liveable City,” Zurich has a proactive bicycle plan overseen by Ledergerber, its “Bicycling Mayor.”

Tommy Wells-Councilmember, Washington, D.C.

A long-time advocate of green transportation, Mr. Wells sits on D.C.’s committees on Public Works & Transportation and Government Operations & The Environment

Michelle Kranz-Manager, Media Relations, Switzerland Tourism

Switzerland Tourism is a partner in Switzerland’s national network of bicycle trails, created by a unique public-private cooperation.

Thomas Gotshi, Ph.D.-Director of Research, Rails-To-Trails Conservancy

Dr. Gotschi authored the report “Active Transportation for America,” which quantifies the nationwide benefits from walking and bicycling.

Michael Jackson, (Moderator)-Director, Bicycle/ Pedestrian Access Committee

Office of Planning and Capital Programming, MDOT

Congressman Earl Blumenauer-(D, OR)

Congressman Blumenauer was instrumental in forming the Congressional Task Force on Livable Communities and the bipartisan Bicycle Caucus.

Where:      

Embassy of Switzerland

2900 Cathedral Avenue, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20008

The forum is free and open to the public; reservations required at was.events@eda.admin.ch.

Ride Your Bike and Receive a Special Gift!

For more information, please visit the Embassy of Switzerland’s website. 

 These events are produced by the Embassy of Switzerland in Washington, D.C. as part of the U.S.-wide program ThinkSwiss-Brainstorm the Future. As a leading country in science, research and technology, Switzerland is working with its American counterparts to address key global topics like public transportation, to better understand trends and arrive at solutions.

The ThinkSwiss program is produced under the auspices of the Swiss Confederation.

For further information, visit the website www.thinkswiss.org or contact: 

Suzanne Zweizig 

Communications Manager

Embassy of Switzerland

2900 Cathedral Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20008

Tel +1 (202) 745-7920

Suzanne.Zweizig@eda.admin.ch

 
Co-Sponsors:
      

(Source: Good Magazine)

Click here to read the entire article.

(Source: Times of India)

Meeting stresses the need for dedicated infrastructure comprising separate facilities for cyclists.

MUMBAI: Why are bicycles, which don’t pollute, take up little space, are cheap and have virtually no maintenance cost, not a popular mode of  travel in Mumbai? According to activists and cycling enthusiasts, the reasons are a mindset that favours motorised vehicles and a lack of infrastructure to promote cycling in the city. 

These were the two chief issues discussed during a public meeting at the Carter Road amphitheatre, Bandra (W), to popularise cycling in the city to check pollution and reduce traffic congestion. The meeting, which generated a buzz in the vicinity, had several passersby joining in. Also among the participants were young professionals working in the IT industry and call centres. 

Biking enthusiasts and activists discussed the need for dedicated infrastructure comprising separate facilities for cyclists. This includes segregated lanes, bicycle parking stands at railway stations, shopping malls and public places, special signage and traffic signals for bicycles. 

Activists said dedicated infrastructure for bicycle riders would allow faster short-distance journeys (between one and six km), which might even be more effective than going by car. Added to this are the health benefits of cycling, they added. 

Activists Fawzan Javed and Colin Christopher, who initiated the move for the meeting, felt that starting a bicycle movement in Bandra would set a precedent for other suburbs to follow. 

Javed is an architect from Mumbai, while Christopher, a student at Columbia University, New York, is currently doing a stint with Pukar, an NGO. “Once the initiative takes off, it will grow and we will have less congestion and pollution on the roads,” said Javed. 

Javed, who has undertaken a project on the bicycle movement across the globe, said it was becoming popular in Asian cities and was already an established mode of transport in European cities. His idea is to have a bicycle lane network in Bandra to enable citizens to ride along freely. 

Click here to read the entire article.

TransportGooru is proud to team up with David Rizzo, better known as Dr. Roadmap,  a Commute Management expert who writes about issues such as improving gas mileage (mpg), alternate routes, traffic congestion, ridesharing, commuting behavior and intelligent transportation systems on California’s Orange Country Register.  He is well known for his comprehensive guide ever written on off-freeway commuting in Southern California, published in 1990.  Two years later he became the first traffic reporter to offer daily alternate routes in real time over the air on one of the most popular morning radio shows in Los Angeles.  Starting today, he will be contributing bi-weekly columns exclusively for TransportGooru.   Here is his first column on tax breaks, just in time for the tax season as we sharpen our pencils and start crunching the numbers before the arrival of April 15:

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Perhaps October 31, Halloween, is the scariest day of the year, or even Friday the Thirteenth and its specter of 24 hours of bad luck? Maybe. But the one day most working Americans dread most is April 15, the deadline for filling our income tax returns. However, a silver lining surrounds this annual dark cloud for those who share the ride on their way to their job.

On February 17, President Obama single-handedly doubled the tax-free benefit for ridesharers with the signing of the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009. Now people who take a train, bus or a vanpool to work can receive up to $230 per month from their employer, TAX FREE. That works out to $2760 annually. Anyone treated to a W-2 form at the end of the year qualifies.

Photo Courtesy: Paul Keleher@Flickr

Previously, this amount was limited to just $120 per month, or $1440 per year, as outlined in the Internal Revenue Code, Section 9010.

This fringe benefit encourages commuters to abandon their cars in favor of transit and vanpools, which feature a lower carbon footprint per passenger mile.

Referred to as the Commuter Choice program, it even benefits employers who provide these transportation fringe benefit funds in addition to, or in lieu of, existing compensation paid to their workers. What this means for those of us who haven’t earned a CPA credential lately, is employers realize a savings of at least 7.65% on the amount set aside, since payroll taxes do not apply.

Of course, you know there has to be a “gotcha” or two, but they’re not too bad.

The main catch is that your employer must pay for your commuting expenses by way of a bus pass, rail pass or Transit Check — which is a universal voucher produced by Commuter Check Services Corporation that acts like a gift certificate to purchase transit passes. Most transit agencies honor these.

An employer can also pay money to a vanpool provider, be it a company-sponsored vanpool or otherwise, just as long as the van seats seven adults (including the driver), and at least 80 percent of the mileage is for transporting employees from home to work and back again.

However, an employee cannot receive any cash directly. Otherwise, the IRS will seek a piece of the action.

Additionally, these benefits do not accrue to commuters who carpool. A possible reason behind this exclusion includes the fact that a van, bus, or train can remove far more vehicles off the road than a normal passenger car. Additionally, keeping track of what qualifies as a bona fide carpooling arrangement for commuting purposes only, could prove contentious and time consuming for any employer.

For the first time, though, anyone who pedals to work gets a break. Called the Qualified Bicycle Commuting Reimbursement, a biker can receive up to $20 per month from his or her employer, tax free, for reasonable expenses which include the purchase of a bike, bike improvements, repairs or storage.

President Obama also raised the tax-free parking allowance to $230 per month. And, yes, an employee can take advantage of BOTH benefits. Such would be the case for an employee who drives to a transit station that lacks free parking, then hops on a train for the rest of the trip to work. The potential tax-free income here adds up to a significant $5,520 per year.

While each state clings to its own interpretation of how employers can reimburse their employees for ridesharing, at least the feds have taken some of the sting out of tax time.

We need no longer lie panic stricken when April 15 rolls around.

©2009, Dr. Roadmap®

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