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I just reviewed my adjusted tax bill and found I have received a big reduction totaling over $700. It will be nice to have all that money back, but I would rather not have it. I thought my taxes were low enough before and I don't need the money. I would like to propose the following and I am wondering if anyone else would support the same thing. By support, I mean pay more in taxes.
We have all seen the number of bicycle accidents in the news lately. With gas prices going through the roof, more people will want to ride their bikes. It is dangerous, unless you ride on a dedicated bike trail. We have many of these trails around, but they are not all connected and they do not all lead to places of employment, mainly RTP. I would like to give back all of my tax discount for the creation of an interlinked bike trail system that will allow people to really ride their bikes to and from work and other places of interest. It would be a lot cheaper than building roads, it would be easier to wind the path to where they need to go, it would save people money, reduce gas consumption and get people healthier.
I would like bike trails as well, but I don't think government is the correct way to do it. How about starting a private organization that would work with landowners, including the government, in areas where bike trails would be desirable? I don't know the tax code well enough, but I imagine businesses could write off expenses they occur in supporting the bike trails as charitable contributions. Private individuals could do the same thing. I would think enough landowners in the Triangle area would be progressive enough to support something like this and create a pretty integrated network of trails.
You mean like a 'rails to trails' concept? Great idea but I agree w/ a previous poster about private funding being the way to go. Of course, if you could convince people to donate their tax savings, you'd have quite a pot to start with. Add in donations of materials and time and you've got a winner!
The government's done great with the existing rail-to-trails program -- and in fact, you can commute from N. Durham and central Durham to RTP almost entirely on bike paths!
The idea that government is always a little less efficient strikes me as more rhetoric than reality. Negotiating to buy up old rail lines, getting the necessary easements, designing and building a bridge over I-40 -- these are all classic public goods scenarios, and classic government responsibilities.
That said, I wouldn't be shocked if gas prices continue to go up if we see, in the next decade, a desire to look at the very valuable corridors that greenways take up and whether they could be better used for streetcars or dedicated commuter buses...
My brother (who does not live in NC, by the by) is a big advocate of bike riding. He commutes by bike & organizes alley cat races in his city. A while back he was interviewed by NPR about commuting by bike. When the conversation mentioned biking trails, his reply was, "That's what roads are."
Remember that bikes can legally be used on most of our public roadways. Unfortunately, most of us are not educated on how to share the road (that goes for motorists as well as cyclists).
I don't think that bike trails alone are the answer. Bike lanes on more of our major roads would be a big step in the right direction, though.
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