Dear Friend, The bicycle is the most efficient form of transportation ever invented. It allows people to burn calories instead of carbon while meeting transportation needs quickly, easily, and effectively.        When I first came to Congress, I didn’t bring a car. Instead, I brought two bicycles, and one for guests. I still bike to work most every day. I never get stuck in traffic and I arrive at work in better spirits.    Bikes are an indicator species in building livable communities where people are safe, healthy, and economically secure.      As founder and co-chair of the Congressional Bicycle Caucus, I worked to enact the highest-ever funding for bicycle projects in the $1.5 trillion infrastructure bill signed by President Biden last Congress. Included in that historic effort was a bill to fund my Vision Zero program. The premise of Vision Zero is simple: put an end to all transportation-related deaths.      Since its passage, the Biden Administration has already announced $800 million in grants to support the development and implementation of Vision Zero plans in communities across the country. A perfect example is the $20 million I secured for traffic safety improvements on 122nd Avenue in Portland. This will make a tremendous difference to the people that live and work in East Portland.     There is, however, much more to do to keep users safe amid a dangerous increase in road fatalities.       In February, I introduced the Sarah Debbink Langenkamp Active Transportation Act to unlock funding for state and local governments to build safer, more complete, networks for biking and walking. Sarah was killed riding her bike home from her child’s school just weeks after returning from Ukraine on official duties as a U.S. diplomat. A gap in a bike network left her vulnerable and was ultimately where she died. Sarah’s work took her to dangerous places all over the world. Biking home should not have been one of them. This legislation is named in her honor and a poignant reminder of the work that still needs to be done to make our roads safer for all users, not just cars.       I am also leading the charge to level the playing field for cycling. People who bike to work should be provided a tax incentive, just as those who take transit or park at work receive. My original Bicycle Commuter Act was signed into law in 2009, but unfortunately was repealed in 2017 as part of the Trump tax cuts. Yesterday, I reintroduced this commonsense legislation to recognize and reward people who commute by bike.       Last month, I also introduced the E-BIKE Act to make it easier and cheaper to buy electric bikes. Anyone can be a bike commuter with an electric bike. Unfortunately, the high cost discourages too many moderate-income consumers. My legislation will change that.         Bicycles are the cornerstone of a livable community. They take up less space, they allow us to see the world at 10 miles per hour instead of 20 or 30, and are a low-cost alternative to cars.     I hope you can enjoy my favorite form of transportation today, and every day. It is one of the simplest things we can do to literally SAVE the world.  For updates on my work, be sure to like and follow my official Facebook and Instagram, @congressmanearlblumenauer.