Comments on: New bike lanes offer chance for cyclists to step up

By: April Galarza

April Galarza — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 08:39:40 +0000

Dear Reporter, you are incorrect when you say that cyclists don’t pay taxes for road use. To start with, many cyclist are also drivers, which means they are paying for city stickers, fuel etc. However, the money derived from these sources is mostly dedicated to freeways and highways–infrastructure not utilized by cyclists. All other roads are mostly financed by general tax funds. So as Elly Blue, reporter for the Grist put it “This means that anyone who owns a home, rents, purchases taxable goods, collects taxable income, or runs a business also pays for the roads.” It is true that a small percentage of the funds derived from motor-vehicle taxes is used for local roads as well, but when you do the math as Austin C. suggested, motorists actually gain. Non-drivers subsidize the costs incurred by motorized vehicles. Here’s a link to the Grist article: http://tinyurl.com/d7z8trf

By: Austin C

Austin C — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 14:43:11 +0000

I am not opposed to this idea in principle – I would like bikers to move into the “mainstream” in terms of acceptance by other commuters, and this may be a way to facilitate that.

However, if bikers are to pay tolls, I believe they should be commensurate with our impact relative to that of cars. Cars weigh about 4000 pounds on average; a very heavy bike is about 40. The resulting wear and tear on our roads is necessarily disparate.

Just take whatever cars are charged as a toll and divide by 100; then, subtract whatever the city determines fair in terms of the difference in reduced congestion (bikes are much smaller and can be parked pretty much anywhere, and so do not have the same negative impact on quality of life downtown as a car) and the health consequences of a single car’s air pollution on the public at large (asthma, emphysema, and even the unpleasant smells associated with car pollutants – each car contributes their little bit). I believe I could live with the resulting costs.

By: cyclist

cyclist — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 14:03:14 +0000

we should be encouraging people to ride bikes more, by building lanes like this as well as other ideas. making up fees for people making the environmental choice is a disincentive. people who choose driving a polluting motor vehicle in an already overcrowded city should be paying more for that privilege. people who choose bikes and public transportation should be rewarded, not fined.