Did you chuckle when the WSJ's Dorothy Rabinowitz said "the bike lobby is an all-powerful enterprise”? Well, "[t]he bicycle lobby is real," say Byron Tau and Caitlin Emma, who explore the increasing clout of those fighting for bike infrastructure.
"All-powerful the bike lobby is not," note Tau and Emma. "Cars — and the infrastructure needed to accommodate them — still receive the overwhelming percentage of federal, state and local transportation dollars. But a scrappy band of bicycle manufacturers, smart-growth advocates and cycling nonprofits is increasingly fighting — and winning — battles at all levels of government."
"They’ve helped birth the proliferation of bike share systems across the country, thousands of miles of newly paved or painted bike lanes, new laws to protect riders and a vocal constituency of die-hard activists and voters. Now those activists are increasingly branching into politics — forming PACs, backing friendly politicians and donating money on behalf of their cause."
Read the full story: The bike lobby rolls on
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