Congress orders easier bike and pedestrian crossings at U.S.-Canada bridge
H.R. 7079 — Bike the Border Act · Filed by Shri Thanedar (D-MI) · Introduced Jan 14, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill directs U.S. Customs and Border Protection to set up infrastructure and procedures within one year to make it easier for cyclists and pedestrians to cross the U.S.-Canada border at the Gordie Howe International Bridge. It also requires a Government Accountability Office report 18 months later assessing whether CBP has done so and recommending ways to encourage non-motorized crossings.
Why we flagged it
The bill's operative mechanism is a straightforward directive to a federal agency to improve pedestrian and bicycle crossing procedures at a named international bridge, coupled with an audit requirement.
What the text implies
- CBP may need to allocate budget and staff to build or upgrade pedestrian/bicycle lanes, inspection facilities, or processing infrastructure at the bridge—costs not specified in the bill.
- The 'expedited' crossing language may create pressure on CBP to reduce security screening depth for non-motorized traffic, raising potential security-vs.-convenience trade-offs not explicitly addressed.
The full analysis lists 3 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
construction/engineering firms (if bridge infrastructure upgrades are required); bicycle and pedestrian advocacy organizations (if incentive programs are adopted)