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Bicycles cost a fraction of a percent of wear and tear compared to motor vehicles. Not to mention contribution to pollution/air quality.
People who ride bicycles should pay a nominal bicycle registration fee, then receive a hefty tax break for using their bicycles instead of their cars.
And sure, bicycles rarely stop for stop signs. But be honest - unless there's already a car in the intersection, cars don't either.
bicycles cause a disproportionate amount of disruption to traffic flow, because most roads are not really designed to accommodate them, and due to their relatively slow speed. Hence they are imposing a cost on others, and it makes sense that they should pay a hefty tax to compensate.
Of course I admit that it is not a problem at this point. Because of the impracticality of bicycle commuting where I live (rain country) it is still only a tiny, tiny fraction of commuters who bike.
"So here’s my proposal: Every time you get on a bike, from this moment forward, obey the letter of the law in every traffic exchange everywhere to help drivers (and police officers) view cyclists as predictable users of the road who deserve respect. And every time you get behind the wheel, remember that even the slightest inattention can maim or kill a human being enjoying a legitimate form of transportation."
Words of wisdom, for sure!
Ha. Nobody in NYC, not drivers, not bicyclists, and not pedestrians, obeys the letter of the law. Being the only one who does won't make you safe or virtuous, it will just make you frustrated. For instance, one of the laws says if there's a bike lane you have to stay in it. But, this being NYC, the bike lane will often be blocked with garbage trucks, police cars, pushcarts, construction vehicles, taxis, joggers, pedestrians just milling around, etc. So, you going to get off your bike and walk it around each of these obstructions, or just head to the street?
Another problem with a bike tax is they're typically proposed on a municipality by municipality basis. I'd need one permit for my home town, one for the adjacent town where the train station is, and one for NYC. And that's just a commute. On a short pleasure ride I can pass through 5 municipalities; on a longer one quite a few more.
This would also give the bicyclists incentive to monitor that the city-owned racks were a solid value, and not a boondoggle purchased through a company owned by a council person's nephew.
If you charged everyone that commutes by bike for all those bike racks, it would cost about $8, sounds like a good deal to me.
bicycles cause a disproportionate amount of disruption to traffic flow, because most roads are not really designed to accommodate them, and due to their relatively slow speed. Hence they are imposing a cost on others, and it makes sense that they should pay a hefty tax to compensate.
Of course I admit that it is not a problem at this point. Because of the impracticality of bicycle commuting where I live (rain country) it is still only a tiny, tiny fraction of commuters who bike.
Bicycles are traffic. And reduce congestion. Yet, they are subject to health issues from the fumes/exhaust of cars. Therefore, people who drive cars should pay higher into ACA, and cyclists should receive a significant reduction in medical costs.
bicycles cause a disproportionate amount of disruption to traffic flow, because most roads are not really designed to accommodate them, and due to their relatively slow speed. Hence they are imposing a cost on others, and it makes sense that they should pay a hefty tax to compensate.
Of course I admit that it is not a problem at this point. Because of the impracticality of bicycle commuting where I live (rain country) it is still only a tiny, tiny fraction of commuters who bike.
Buy some rain gear like the rest of us, there are currently just under 4% that commute by bike in Seattle and 6% that commute by bike in Portland, that is more than just a tiny fraction and those percentages keep growing each year.
Back in the 50's and 60's i remember having to buy a small license plate from the city to ride my bike, not sure why they stopped doing that.
As a car driver i pay various fees for tags,insurance drivers license,and i'm expected to obey all the rules of the road, bicyclists pay basically nothing to use the same roads i use and its the rare biker who gets pulled over for a traffic violation. I think a $25-$50 annual fee would help to pay for some of the bike infrastructure like bike racks or bike paths..
The annual fee wouldn't need to be more than $5 if there were one for bike commuters.
bicycles cause a disproportionate amount of disruption to traffic flow, because most roads are not really designed to accommodate them, and due to their relatively slow speed. Hence they are imposing a cost on others, and it makes sense that they should pay a hefty tax to compensate.
Of course I admit that it is not a problem at this point. Because of the impracticality of bicycle commuting where I live (rain country) it is still only a tiny, tiny fraction of commuters who bike.
You would rather have all those people in cars instead? The biggest traffic problem I've seen is semi trailers mixed in with cars.
If you drive a car, I'll tax the street,
If you try to sit, I'll tax your seat.
If you get too cold I'll tax the heat,
If you take a walk, I'll tax your feet........
Bicycles are traffic. And reduce congestion. Yet, they are subject to health issues from the fumes/exhaust of cars. Therefore, people who drive cars should pay higher into ACA, and cyclists should receive a significant reduction in medical costs.
Bicycles can actually create congestion, because most roads are not designed for them. On the arterial near me sometimes I see a bicycle, and invariably they create a kind of rolling bottleneck as they go. It's a four lane road, and effectively reduced to 3 where the bicyclist is, because all cars have to move over one lane to get around the bicyclist.
I don't have a problem with them, and am happy to do whatever it takes to ensure that they keep pedaling along safely. But the congestion argument is bogus.
The only thing new taxes do is cause politicians to spend unwisely, because they have a new source of revenue to play with.
I live in one of the most bike-friendly areas on the East Coast, and I doubt if even 1% of the population uses their bike to commute to work, even if you factor in motorcycles and underpowered scooters. When gas prices spiked after Obama came into office, it still didn't change. I worked in a building where 3,400 other people worked, and at any given time, we had about a dozen motorcycles and 4 or 5 road bikes in the parking lot.
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