Questions about Bicycle Commuter Act answered

The overriding question most bicycle commuters had when they heard about passage of the Bicycle Commuter Act on Friday was — “Where do I sign up?”

The League of American Bicyclists has been researching the bill and how it might be implemented and came up with a Bicycle Commuter Act FAQ at the LAB website.

The bike act is a work in progress. As a Washington DC-based advocacy group for bicyclists, the League has the contacts to make sure the act's provisions are implemented by Jan. 1, 2009.

Essentially, this law is a fringe benefit that will be administered through employers, much like the transportation fringe benefits for carpooling and vanpooling. The major difference is that those benefits can amount to $115 per month, and the bicycle benefits are only $20 per month.

The League says that the incentives related to bike commuting would include bike parking facilities, shower facilities and mainentance. The League will work with the IRS to set up more guidelines for interested employers.

At this point, the League says that people who get a transit pass benefit through work that enables them to carry their bikes on bus or rail wouldn't qualify for this further Bicycle Commuter Act benefit.

Here's an example of benefits available from a transportation fringe benefit program explained at the University of South Florida.