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Should Cyclists Pay for Registration, Road Tax, Insurance ...

Old 01-07-11, 09:41 PM
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Should Cyclists Pay for Registration, Road Tax, Insurance ...

Should bicyclists have to pay for registration, insurance and road tax for their bicycles?
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Old 01-07-11, 09:54 PM
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is this a rhetorical question?
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Old 01-07-11, 10:02 PM
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Originally Posted by degnaw
is this a rhetorical question?
This topic has come up on another forum. I'm looking for some good answers to the issue ....
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Old 01-07-11, 10:08 PM
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Yes to any of those is not a good answer. My opinion.
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Old 01-07-11, 10:08 PM
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Oh, here we go...popcorn, anyone?

Ya know what? I'd pay...say $25/year for the whole schmear: Registration, road tax and insurance, just so "they" would hush up once and for all about "You don't pay taxes or registration so you don't have the right to use this road" bollocks...

...not that it would shut them up...but it's a nice thought
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Old 01-07-11, 10:36 PM
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I already pay the road tax here. We have a state income tax that pays for our roads (I pay that). We have local property tax that pays for our roads (I pay that). We have a local parcel tax that pays for our roads (I pay that). My county gets federal money to replace the property tax that is not collected on our national forest and BLM land (I pay that). I have liability insurance for my cycling activities through my home-owners policy (I pay that). I am actually paying far more into the road pot than I am ever going to take out. At least one study indicates that cyclists, on average, pay ten times as much as they cost the government for road use. Motorists, on the other hand, pay about one-tenth of the governmental costs incurred. Perhaps a different question is in order here about the freeloading motorists.

By the way, at least in my state, automobile registration does not pay for roads in any way. It partially off-sets the bureaucratic costs of maintaining the vehicle licensing database.
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Old 01-07-11, 11:26 PM
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We already do pay tax, on the roads. Some towns do require bicycle registration, but most such programs cost more to run, than they take in. In my town, it's a one time two dollar charge, per bike.

Bicycle insurance doesn't seem to be available here in the States. Considering generally anti-bike law enforcement that usually wants to jump to the bike being at fault for any car vs. bike incident, and all the hit and run JAMs out there, it would be nice if we could get bike insurance. I'd love to see a program like Grundy Worldwide's collector car insurance applied to bicycles.
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Old 01-08-11, 01:25 AM
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Originally Posted by Greyryder
Bicycle insurance doesn't seem to be available here in the States. Considering generally anti-bike law enforcement that usually wants to jump to the bike being at fault for any car vs. bike incident, and all the hit and run JAMs out there, it would be nice if we could get bike insurance. I'd love to see a program like Grundy Worldwide's collector car insurance applied to bicycles.
Liability for cycling is generally covered by the personal liability coverage of homeowners or renters insurance, and by personal liability umbrella policies if you want more coverage than is available on your home.
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Old 01-08-11, 01:41 AM
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no
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Old 01-08-11, 01:45 AM
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sure, id agree to the $20 a year per bicycle registration but dont make me put a sticker on it. I would also expect to see an impovement in road quality and bicycle lanes.
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Old 01-08-11, 02:11 AM
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This thread came up here a while back and apparently schemes like that cost way more than they bring in. IMO cyclists shouldn't have to pay for registration or road tax - this is because we are "human powered transport" similar to walking / running / rollerblading etc.

Insurance however is probably a good idea, I have 3rd party insurance simply because it gives me free breakdown cover and came free with theft insurance for my beater. If a cyclist scratches a car etc. one would hope they would own up and pay for the damage, in a situation like that I'd rather have insurance!

But basically we are powering ourselves similar to walking, and unless you are going to tax walking then you can't really tax cycling. What would you get for it anyway? We already have useless cycle lanes, and the roads are already potholes beyond what a cheap cycle tax would pay for, so tbh there is no point.

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Old 01-08-11, 04:03 AM
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Originally Posted by daven1986
But basically we are powering ourselves similar to walking, and unless you are going to tax walking then you can't really tax cycling. What would you get for it anyway?
That's essentially what it comes down to. In any case, road maintenance comes under council tax, which we all pay regardless of whether or not we own a car. In other countries where vehicle tax does pay for road upkeep and repairs, the amount of impact a bicycle has on the road compared to a car is minute, so they'd have to charge us such a tiny amount it's not worth bothering.
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Old 01-08-11, 05:20 AM
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Originally Posted by vja4Him
Should bicyclists have to pay for registration, insurance and road tax for their bicycles?
ABSOLUTELY YES !!! Any vehicle that is tearing up concrete and asphalt streets and damaging curbs should have to contribute to their maintenance. :-)

Last edited by limeylew; 01-08-11 at 05:21 AM. Reason: spelling error
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Old 01-08-11, 06:15 AM
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I was talking to someone yesterday along these lines concerning the possible future registration of kayaks. Compared to a powerboat the kayak generates no air, noise, nor water pollution; and has no other environmental impact. Compared to any car the bicycle generates no air, noise nor water pollution; generates no road wear and has no other environmental impact.

The only fair way to implement a registration for kayaks or bicycles is to charge a $1 per pound annual registration fee for all vehicles and vessels. Along with that should be a "Register It, or Crush It" law. Any vehicle or vessel thats registration is allowed to lapse over 10 days should have to be scrapped. This would be eminently fair as each vehicle and vessel would be paying for the impacts that they cause in operation.

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Old 01-08-11, 06:49 AM
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Taxes: If we are talking about a car-free cyclist, or one who uses his car very little, he probably pays more than his motorist counterpart compared to damage done to the road.

Insurance: Many cyclists are already insured via homeowner's or renter's insurance. Personally, I don't believe the State should be able to force you to buy any insurance, unless it's providing it. But since that model isn't going away... I think that right now it simply isn't an issue. When we see 25% or more people moving about on bikes, maybe.

Registration: Same as above. Right now it simply isn't cost-effective and offers no real benefit. I could see it happening if/when there is a sizable population of cyclists (although I don't know if it's exactly necessary), but until then it just doesn't accomplish any of the goals it's set out to accomplish.
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Old 01-08-11, 07:03 AM
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Absolutely not -- they make no sense, and the potential funds raised would be miniscule.

Most cyclists already own a car and already pay those taxes and fees.

A bicycle has minimal to no effect on road maintenance costs.

That said, if it shuts up the people who think that the "pay to use" logic is best - (even though they don't explain that the actual societal costs of ANY road are never paid via motorist user fees, or why in some states that school buses, taxis, and cement mixers don't pay certain user fees (gas tax) and are still allowed to use roads, and that even though I pay gas taxes on my boat I am not allow to operate it on I-66)--great. I'm actually willing to pay it just for that purpose.

BTW - this thread is highly likely to mutate into the other thread very soon.
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Old 01-08-11, 08:45 AM
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Originally Posted by RunningPirate
Oh, here we go...popcorn, anyone?

Ya know what? I'd pay...say $25/year for the whole schmear: Registration, road tax and insurance, just so "they" would hush up once and for all about "You don't pay taxes or registration so you don't have the right to use this road" bollocks...

...not that it would shut them up...but it's a nice thought
I would too... but whatever I pay it should be proportional to what motorists pay... so if their fees are based on weight, my fee should be also.
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Old 01-08-11, 08:47 AM
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I already pay road tax. Why should I pay again just because I have a bike?
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Old 01-08-11, 08:49 AM
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We already pay road tax as long as you pat your taxes. Though much of road tax is taken from gasoline, but that is not really our concern being on a bicycle. Registration for bicycles was apparently mandatory up until the early 80s in my town, this is something that would be fantastic again for reporting stolen bikes but the police would never care enough for it to be worth it.
As far as insurance goes, we are really of no risk to hurt anyone else too badly. You only pay 'Liability' because you can ruin lots of lives sitting behind 3k lbs of metal.
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Old 01-08-11, 08:51 AM
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Originally Posted by catonec
sure, id agree to the $20 a year per bicycle registration but dont make me put a sticker on it. I would also expect to see an impovement in road quality and bicycle lanes.
How about if you hang a little metal tag from your saddle... and periodically you get a new sticker for the metal tag.

But like others, I would only do it to shut up the idiots that insist that I don't have a right to the road. Hell I would proudly display it just for that reason.
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Old 01-08-11, 08:52 AM
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No - I already pay more than my fair share via other taxes and user fees, including the gasoline tax. My bikes cause no wear to the roads, don't pollute the environment and don't even rate equal space or "effectively" equal rights on the road.

What do you want to tax next...pedestrians?
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Old 01-08-11, 08:54 AM
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Originally Posted by genec
How about if you hang a little metal tag from your saddle... and periodically you get a new sticker for the metal tag.

But like others, I would only do it to shut up the idiots that insist that I don't have a right to the road. Hell I would proudly display it just for that reason.
Do you really think it will shut anyone up...or that anyone will even notice? Half the time they don't even see us, let alone some little tag that may or may not be obstructed by bags and such.
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Old 01-08-11, 08:58 AM
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Originally Posted by vja4Him
Should bicyclists have to pay for registration, insurance and road tax for their bicycles?
Is there a big problem with bicyclists destroying things they can't afford to pay for?
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Old 01-08-11, 08:59 AM
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Originally Posted by chipcom
Do you really think it will shut anyone up...or that anyone will even notice? Half the time they don't even see us, let alone some little tag that may or may not be obstructed by bags and such.
Of course it won't. Idiots would still be idiots... but it would be publicized in the news, and lend further legitimacy in any confrontation argument...

And I would make sure it would be visible, for just those reasons. Little license plate frame and all that. "My other bike is a bike."

The reality is it won't happen... too expensive to administer, no real benefit to the state.
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Old 01-08-11, 09:00 AM
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Originally Posted by chipcom
Do you really think it will shut anyone up...or that anyone will even notice? Half the time they don't even see us, let alone some little tag that may or may not be obstructed by bags and such.
The tag won't be big enough, for them, until it sucks 100 watts with the drag it creates.

These sorts of things never have been about educated people addressing a real free rider or danger problem cyclists pose. It's about idiots ranting on the internet about how they gotta pay and this guy on a bicycle doesn't. They're too stupid to recognize why.
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