Jonathan, I think the best point to make in response to a letter like this is as follows. Motorists are paying for insurance, fees, taxes, etc according to the costs they incur. The object is to pay according to what your costs. In spite of the all the money motorists pay for the privilege of driving on public roads, they are still getting subsidized.
Bicyclists on the other hand, incur much lower costs which have been found to be more than covered by the federal income taxes we pay, so that no additional fees or taxes are necessary. In fact, bicyclist are subsidizing motorists and not the other way around as is popularly (mis) judged.
I can find references to back this up, or refer you to the Alliance for Biking and Walking - they should have the info. Nick ---------- Original Message ---------------------------------- From: Jonathan Rosenbaum freesource@cheat.org Date: Wed, 26 May 2010 22:02:29 -0400
It was bound to happen soon or later, but a contrarian who believes that privileges (rights) need to be purchased wrote a letter to the Dominion Post editor about our last excellent BB article. There is clearly a separation between having "rights" and having to pay for licenses, insurance, and property taxes. Do you think the BB should address this person's question? I don't subscribe to the electronic DP so I've typed the article out below:
*Want the rights? Pay for responsibilities*
It was with amazement that I read the column in Thursday's [TheDominion Post] in the Green Life page about bicyclists. The title of the article "Same road, same rights, same rules" was read in disbelief. In my opinion, as well as quite a few of my friends', they [the bicyclists] can have the same rights when they start paying for license plates as we car and truck owners do. They can have the same rights when they pay the property taxes we do on our vehicles. They can have the same rights when they have to carry the state minimum insurance as we are required by law to have. If we have to have all of these things to drive our vehicles on the roads and they have the same rights as we do, then why do they not pay the same as we do to have the "privilege" to drive on our roads?
*Dennis Bolyard Kingwood*
-- Nick Hein LCI# 1705 Director, Positive Spin 2567 Univ Ave Ste 6000L Morgantown, WV ph 304-685-8954 --