You may have seen the letter to the Greenville News yesterday titled Vehicles, not bikes, pay for our roads (Google the article title if you are not a subscriber to see the full letter). The writer opened with the same old argument we have all heard before:
“Is anybody tired of all the whining and crying from the tight spandex and funny helmet crowd? All you ever hear from them is that “we have the same right to be on the road as cars do.” Wrong. There is no way they have that “right.” It is not a right; it is a privilege that I earned and pay for. I am required to carry insurance, passed a test and also pay a $20 a year road use fee. What do cyclists pay? Nothing!”
Of course we know that cyclists DO pay for the roads. Even though we ride bikes, most of us still own cars, carry insurance, and pay gas taxes. In addition, we ALL pay the income, sales, and property taxes that fund the majority of road construction and maintenance projects anyway. It is also worth noting that our lightweight ‘vehicles’ do NOT damage the roads the same way that heavy cars and trucks do. So if a cyclist pays for a road maintenance project through property tax, how exactly is he or she not paying a fair share?
I wrote a longer post in response to a very similar letter to the editor a couple years ago. I won’t repeat all the same points here, but I encourage you all to read that post. It is easy to write an angry letter without checking the facts, but I think the facts are clear. Cyclists do pay their share for the roads…and then some.
12 comments:
Our best resource for dealing with this issue is http://ipayroadtax.com/. This comes up a lot, particularly when a motorist is yelling at a cyclist.
Thanks Chris! I agree…even though it is a UK based site, I Pay Road Tax.com is a good resource for those us in the US who often hear the same argument.
I live in Toronto and we hear the same tired arguments up here too. Even our new mayor seems to think bikes don't belong on the road! And this in a city filled with bikes.
do people still read newspapers?
Car drivers should be thankful to see bicycles and motorbikes on the roads. It decreases the amount of traffic they have to sit behind.
Unfortunately, Greenville still has a long way to go incorporating bicycles as a viable transportation mode. Looks like transit is expanding its routes - do they have bike racks?
-New to town
Sparky,
You are right. Greenville still has a long way to go, but we are making steady progress. Since you are new to town, be sure to check out the Bikeville page to get more information and find out how you can get involved.
Currently, all the Greenlink buses have racks on the front that accommodate 2 bikes. I am not sure if any will be added with the expansion, but I can find out.
Oh yeah…and welcome to Greenville.
Motorist don't pay for the roads (here in the UK) they are heavily subsidised by those who don't have cars, and I suspect it is the same everywhere...
Mr. Howard closed his letter with "Until then, stay out of my way!"
Is that a threat?
Thank you for the welcome and direction, Mr. T.
I hope to be a big part of diversifying transportation and minimizing commutes.
Who pays for the roads? Well where I live it's households (council tax), regardless of what vehicles they use
Mr. Howard would probably be distressed to learn what percentage of SC's roads are actually paid for by use fees collected from SC drivers.
He might also find it an appropriate time to discuss the tooth fairy with his parents.
when gas passes $4, get an american flag and ride around local gas stations
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