Lake Erie Wheelers is a bicycle club with members in the Greater Cleveland area.
Consider Biking works to create a better environment for cycling in central Ohio and encourage citizens to make active transportation a part of their everyday lives.
By Yokota Fritz
Hey America, did you know that we're at near record low gasoline inventory levels in the United States? What do you do when you're running short of a declining resource? Do you carefully husband the resource so it will last as long as possible? "No!" proclaims Congresscritter Zack Space of Ohio. "Let's pass money around so we can use it up even faster!"
I announced my plan to introduce the Rural Commuters Tax Relief Act of 2007. This legislation could not be simpler: If your household makes less than the national median income, you drive more than 30 miles to work and you work at least four days per week, then you receive a $100 tax credit for each month that the average price of gas is more than $3 per gallon.
The U.S. household median income in 2006 was $48,200. If you're married filing jointly with two children, you can easily find enough deduction to bring your federal tax burden to less than $3000. With this tax credit you can chop your tax bill nearly in half!
It's nice that Mr. Space is pulling for the little guy, but I and others have been warning for years that the affordable house out in the exurban prairie won't be so affordable once oil prices start the inevitable climb right about now.
By Yokota Fritz
Jamie in Columbus, Ohio hates to drive. Jamie is an environmentalist. Jamie, who believes fitness is important, also wants to be a good role model for his son.
"I got absolutely tired of walking into work stressed out, angry and frustrated," he says, regarding his car commute. Jamie also "figured that the best way to be an environmentalist is to practice what I preach."
So Jamie talked about riding a bike. When he got a Specialized Expedition Sport comfort bike as a gift last November, he started commuting by bike almost immediately. Soon after, he started his Bike Commuting in Columbus blog.
"My first commute was during a warm spell in November along the bike path. I was in my work clothes and the path was just a tad wet, and I didn't have any fenders on my bike. So I got to work and had a slight stripe running up my arse. Luckily I'm a computer programmer so I don't have to get up too often. I started using wet-weather gear more often after that."
I asked Jamie about the advice he might offer to beginner bike commutes. "Ask around first about things you might need to know or have. Don't go into it without doing some research, or a bad experience might get you back behind the wheel before you've experienced a real good commute. One thing that benefited me was buying a really good book on the topic of urban biking and making sure that I was prepared. The book was Urban Bikers' Tricks & Tips."
Jamie has continued his bicycle commute through the winter. "I've never thought about giving up. The hardest thing to get used to was the traffic situation, but when I first rode in traffic I realized that most drivers around here were more afraid of me than I was of them. I enjoyed it too much, and I still feel very strongly about practicing what I preach. I love being outside in the elements, and I won't lie when I say that I get a private kick out of seeing the looks on the faces of my co-workers when I come in with all my bike stuff on and they look at me like I'm crazy, especially on mornings like today when there was 6" of snow on the ground when I came rolling in."
Another good columbus area site of note: http://www.considerbiking.org/site/
And for goodness sake, there is bike polo in Dayton!
http://www.myspace.com/daaaytonohiobikepolo
Don't ask me how I know. I live in Minneapolis.
Another great blog is
columbusrides.blogspot.com
Thanks Anons #1 and #2 -- I've added your links to the article.
Tax credit for exurban car commuters
Fritz, I was at at party last week and two people there were complaining about their commute by car. Seems they go from one suburb to another and the traffic is so bad that it takes them 45 minutes to an hour each way. Oh, did I mention that the distance involved is 8 miles? I suggested they try riding a bike to save time and money. Although that thought never occurred to them, they actually seemed to be considering it. I'll let you know if either one gives it a try.
Nearly an hour to get 8 miles? Wow, that's pretty bad.
My commute took 80 minutes this morning. But I traveled 24 miles and it was by bike ;-) Oh, and I enjoyed it!
Columbus Ohio Bicycle Commute
Permalink: Bicycle talk Ohio
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