Dear All,
Thanks very much for your help with our Bike to Work week efforts http://wecan.wvu.edu/biketowork . I am hoping that last week was just the beginning of a sustained effort (e.g., see url below) to realize "Morgantown as a bicycle commuter city" http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/05/biking-to-work-day-how-to-tips-get-r...
BICYCLE COMMUTER BENEFITS ACT:
I recently learned from Nick Hein about one strategy that WVU and other employers could adopt towards sustaining the bike to work effort: Effective January 1, 2009, commuter cyclists can be reimbursed by their employers $20 per month as part of the Bicycle Commuter Benefits Act signed into law October 2008. See http://bicycling.about.com/od/advocacy/tp/bike_commuter_benefit.htm
COULD WVU BE THE FIRST MORGANTOWN EMPLOYER TO PUT THIS IN ACTION?
Jim Rye Professor Science Education Dept C&I/LS College of Human Resources & Education West Virginia University PO Box 6122 604L Allen Hall Morgantown, WV 26506-6122 Phone: (304) 293-4416 Fax: (304) 293-3802 Email: jim.rye@mail.wvu.edu Web Page: http://depts.hre.wvu.edu/c&ils/currinst/rye.html Are YOU waitin' for the world to change? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPOBMzMTP4U ECAS/HRE NSF-Supported WV Watershed Dynamics Project http://www.wvscience.org/wvwatershed/
"director" director@positivespin.org 5/18/2009 6:14 PM >>>
Jim, Employers can take a $20/mo tax credit for each commuter cyclist, and pass it on to the employee if they choose. It can be administered through the HR dept, or through a subcontractor (like CommuteCheck, about whom I sent earlier messages). Nick
---------- Original Message ---------------------------------- From: "Jim Rye" Jim.Rye@mail.wvu.edu Date: Mon, 18 May 2009 16:18:27 -0400
Nick, thanks. I do! What do you know about this (clipped from what you just sent), as it sounds also like a great wellness incentive:
*Show Us the Money: It also can't hurt to offer financial incentives for ditching driving. Employers can institute the recently adopted monthly $20 tax rebate for cyclists, or go further.*????
"director" director@positivespin.org 5/14/2009 10:10 PM >>>
Jim, I just read this on TreeHugger, thought you'd like it. http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/05/how-to-create-bike-friendly-office-w...
Nick
-- Nick Hein LCI# 1705 Director, Positive Spin 2567 Univ Ave Ste 6000L Morgantown, WV ph 304-276-0213 --
-- Nick Hein LCI# 1705 Director, Positive Spin 2567 Univ Ave Ste 6000L Morgantown, WV ph 304-276-0213 --
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Jim Rye