Food for Thought: Should Cyclists Pay Road Tax?

Burnsy2023 · 16 May 2009 at 22:59

whitecrook said:
No they don't

Vehicle Excise Duty is known as road tax

spleenharvester · 16 May 2009 at 23:01

No.
That is all.

GreatAuk · 16 May 2009 at 23:06

no ... a bad idea on so many levels..

Dolph · 16 May 2009 at 23:08

vonhelmet said:
I think that's a more pertinent issue, though equally difficult to administer without licensing cycle usage and ownership.

Not especially, acknowledging accidents where cyclists are liable and charging them the costs would rapidly encourage uptake of insurance.

Dr.EM · 16 May 2009 at 23:14

Nope.

Gilly · 16 May 2009 at 23:16

Yes at a fair rate, though I also subscribe to the RTA effect.

cheets64 · 16 May 2009 at 23:24

Nope, I cycle and I own a car and pay road tax and insurance on a car, a bicycle does zero damage to the road, is not a danger compared to 2 ton of steel going 30 mph, this country loves the car, far to many on the roads, why don't people cycle to work?

I was thinking the other day of people in this country ending up going to work like this

Be thankful you have and can afford a car to go 4 miles down the road to work.

jumpy · 16 May 2009 at 23:34

Kamerad said:
Road tax is based on emissions

Only since this government saw fit to take a tax that was supposed to be used for the use of a motor vehicle on the road and squeezed more money out of the cash cow motorist and changed the goal posts for the sake of making it look like they're doing something positive with all of this 'act on co2' rubbish.
Whatever they choose to call it, it's all money into the treasury.

I'd like to see some cyclists having to pay to use the roads, it might offset the dangerous way they ride. Just not practical though.

trackrat · 16 May 2009 at 23:37

As a lot of cyclists prefer to ride on the pavement these days so it would be hard to enforce.
What is worse is a lot of these morons have there Ipods blasting in there ears so do not have any regard for the poor pedestrians who legally are allowed to use the pavement.
I saw one of these morons the other day cycling on the pavement and texting, he would look up occasionally, then he hit an old lady at the bus stop and got back on his bike and just rode of.

Rant over.

JBuk · 16 May 2009 at 23:43

No, we should encourage more people to leave their cars and take up cycling, taxing bicycles would discourage people imo

I also think any wear and tear caused by cyclists is negligible

Morba · 16 May 2009 at 23:45

Kamerad said:
The wear on the road from a bicycle is pretty much non-existent. Road tax is based on emissions which bicycles do notproduce.

but the rider does produce emissions...

JBuk · 16 May 2009 at 23:47

Morba said:
but the rider does produce emissions...

I certainly do, you don't want to be on my rear wheel first thing in the morning

cheets64 · 16 May 2009 at 23:47

trackrat said:
As a lot of cyclists prefer to ride on the pavement these days so it would be hard to enforce.
What is worse is a lot of these morons have there Ipods blasting in there ears so do not have any regard for the poor pedestrians who legally are allowed to use the pavement.
I saw one of these morons the other day cycling on the pavement and texting, he would look up occasionally, then he hit an old lady at the bus stop and got back on his bike and just rode of.

Rant over.

What next a drunk driver, a woman texting and killing a person, a speeding motorist killing a family on a motorway.

Begbie · 16 May 2009 at 23:49

TruBlu · 16 May 2009 at 23:53

No. But i think they should have number plates so they can be held responsible for their behaviour. Some are absolutely insane.

Captain_Slick · 16 May 2009 at 23:59

cheets64 said:
why don't people cycle to work?

Because cycling is uncomfortable, exhausting, dangerous, annoys other roads users and make you turn up all sweaty and out of breath.

Why do people cycle to work?

I'd prefer if EVERYONE who went out of their house was charged a Road Tax, akin to the License fee, and owners of emission releasing vehicles pay a carbon tax - aka the current road tax.

Horse riders too. They **** all over the road, get in the way, force everyone to slow down on a 60mph road... just for the uncomfortable pleasure of riding a horse. **** off and do it in a field, it's not like you're going anywhere. Just gonna turn around and go back... ffs.

Von Smallhausen · 17 May 2009 at 00:04

Burnsy2023 said:
You assume wrong. It's a general tax which goes all to the Treasury.

Not all goes to the Treasury.

Some goes on toilet seats, mortgage interest, pasties, crisps, moat repairs, HD TVs and porn films for MPs.

meghatronic · 17 May 2009 at 00:08

I want to carry a high powered rifle to shoot cyclists the jump lights and ride pavements.

Tax them? No way. Make them liable for accidents and fine/crush bike or limbs for the above? Yes.

K.C. Leblanc · 17 May 2009 at 00:09

I say cyclists should not pay road tax, and nor should anyone else.

Motorists are already taxed through the nose with duty on petrol. Fuel duty is a much more targeted tax. With road tax if you drive 4000 miles a year in a gas guzzler you pay more then someone driving 50,000 miles a year in a low emissions vehicle.

In days of old when a PC on the beat needed an easy method to tell if a car was insured and had a valid MOT tax discs were useful. But now this information is easily available.

I don't think you can justify car tax anymore.