Bike industry “tip sheet” helps make business case for funding

Greg Cowan, president of bike apparel
company Castelli USA, in their
Northwest Portland warehouse.
(Photo © J. Maus)

After what many felt was an assault on bike funding from the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this month, the non-profit Bikes Belong Coalition has released a new weapon in the fight to save the dedicated bike funding pots. They’ve published a “tip sheet” to help bike company owners make the case that bikes mean business.

Along with the new tip sheet, Bikes Belong (which is funded by the U.S. bike industry) is encouraging bike industry leaders and owners of bike-related businesses to have meetings with their elected representatives.

Here’s a blurb from the Bikes Belong statement:

“Bike business leaders can play a powerful role in assuring federal support for biking. In this tight economy, the business voice is extra important. Congress has traditionally played the leading role in investing in bike paths, trails, bridges, underpasses, and beneficial programs like Safe Routes to School.”

Bikes Belong president Tim Blumenthal says bike industry members should remind electeds that the industry creates jobs and generates tax revenue.

With the recent calls from Rep. John Mica and Sen. James Inhofe to eliminate federal bike funding, the “Bikes Mean Business” message needs to be communicated now more than ever.

On the tip sheet itself, Bikes Belong urges bike company reps to gather basic stats on their business like number of employees, annual sales, amount paid in taxes and so on. Below is a snip from the tip sheet:

Your main objective is to express that bicycling is good for the local economy. First, explain how federal support for bike projects helps your company. More safe places to ride means more business for you. Then, summarize the business you bring to the community using stats that you compiled. Conclude that their support for biking means more jobs and tax revenue for their district. The key message: bikes mean business.

It’s good to see this sort of mobilization around the bikes mean business mantra. Download the tip sheet and learn more at BikesBelong.org.