Food for Thought: Should Cyclists Pay Road Tax?

No. I think cyclists are safer on a pavement than on the road too.

If you get hit by a car on your bike you're in trouble, what's the worst that can happen if you hit a pedestrian on a bike, tyre burn to the shin?

I also agree with this statement. Bikes are not suitable on todays roads, they arn't powered vehicles anyway. Those mobility carts drive on pavements, often with poor driver control, and if one of those hit you it'd break your ankle for sure!

I think people have a problem with cyclists on pavements just because it shocks them when it silently overtakes, I seriously doubt anyone on here has been hit. I do agree that headphones should not be used by cyclists though, same for pedestrians crossing roads. Just using one ear won't do as it'll distort your perception of where things are coming from.
 
shocks them when it silently overtakes

You hit the nail on the head, that is the biggest danger to us lot walking on the sidewalk. Its fine if you see them comin in front of you and you can step out fo the way but theres times when they are bangin down from behind.

Yes if youre lucky they whizz past with no harm but all it takes is for you to step to one side to avoid stepping on some puke/dog crap etc. and *BAM*.

If the rider was goin slow...maybe some bruises but I dont need to tell you all how fast you can get goin on a bike and THAT can cause some serious damage to your body.

However - I agree that it is dangerous to ride on this countrys roads. I myself would love to ride to work but I have seen the way people drive and it aint worth the risk. Specially those "racing" asswipes in their cheap-bling hatches who think they got F1 driving skills.

You lot been to the Netherlands, Denmark etc. What a pleasure it is to ride there. Miles and miles of deidicated bike paths.
 
No.
When on my Mountain bike I am a law unto myself, Road laws do Not apply, I ignore traffic lights, road direction, No entrys the lot & I even ride on the pavement dodging pedestrians, It is my God given right.
If God disagrees with my riding style he can Squish me anytime he likes.

The last line is genius. :D

No, cyclists should not pay road tax, the amount of damage they do to the roads is negligible and there are numerous benefits to cycling in terms of fitness and efficiency. Requiring insurance in case of accidents might be a decent idea although possibly difficult to enforce. If you're going to charge cyclists road tax then I'd like to see people actually respecting cycle lanes and not parking on them, there's not much point in a cycle lane if I've still got to veer out into the road to pass a parked car or alternatively go up onto the pavement if I can.
 
I'd like to see people actually respecting cycle lanes and not parking on them, there's not much point in a cycle lane if I've still got to veer out into the road to pass a parked car or alternatively go up onto the pavement if I can.

Why should the motorist fund better cycle lanes as things stand at the moment?
 
A better question is whether they should have insurance and be held liable for accidents/injuries they cause.

My answer is yes.

they already are liable for injuries they cause

as for insurance - tis as silly as having tax and license plates - cyclists should have insurance as much as people who go drinking on a Friday night should have insurance

In fact people who go drinking on a Friday night have a much greater chance of killing or injuring someone than a cyclist.
 
I also agree with this statement. Bikes are not suitable on todays roads, they arn't powered vehicles anyway. Those mobility carts drive on pavements, often with poor driver control, and if one of those hit you it'd break your ankle for sure!

I think people have a problem with cyclists on pavements just because it shocks them when it silently overtakes, I seriously doubt anyone on here has been hit. I do agree that headphones should not be used by cyclists though, same for pedestrians crossing roads. Just using one ear won't do as it'll distort your perception of where things are coming from.

Actually i've just remembered there was a case not long ago of a cyclist hitting someone whilst riding on the pavement, and it killing them:eek:

Freak accident I know, and nowhere near as common as accidents where the cyclist's hit by a car.
 
Originally road tax had a different purpose; it was to pay for the upkeep of roads and for building new ones. The fact that the corrupt lot changed it over the years...

As such cyclists should pay road tax as the cycle lanes have to be built.

and pedestrians should pay tax because we have pavements built?

think you'll find we had public rights of way and tracks etc.. long before tarmac roads and road tax got introduced.

if you want to travel on foot, by horse or bike then there isn't any need for a tarmac road to be maintained
 
Why should the motorist fund better cycle lanes as things stand at the moment?

I don't know if it was intentional but you missed out the first part of the sentence which modifies the whole and changes the meaning significantly 'if you're going to charge cyclists road tax then...".

Although I'll answer anyway, if a cyclist is in a collision with a motorist then the person who will be coming off worst is almost certainly the cyclist so if additional cycle lanes keep motorists and cyclists apart better and reduce the instance of accidents then that is in everyones interests. It also means that motorists don't have to slow down for cyclists with their puny leg power nor have to worry about them squeezing up the inside in a blind spot.
 
You hit the nail on the head, that is the biggest danger to us lot walking on the sidewalk. Its fine if you see them comin in front of you and you can step out fo the way but theres times when they are bangin down from behind.

Yes if youre lucky they whizz past with no harm but all it takes is for you to step to one side to avoid stepping on some puke/dog crap etc. and *BAM*.

If the rider was goin slow...maybe some bruises but I dont need to tell you all how fast you can get goin on a bike and THAT can cause some serious damage to your body.

I used to ride my bike to work every day, and I'll confess I did nip on the pavement a few times, but I would always ride slower, and pull over to give pedestrians space to pass. The only time I ever hit someone was ironically when I was on the road and he decided to start strolling across, at a blind corner, while looking the other way (on a 1-way road) to chat to someone, cue me sliding sideways towards him at about 20, hitting him and ending up with an armful of gravel. Oh yeah, and apparently it was my fault :confused:

Moral of the story: there are idiots everywhere, bike/car/on foot.

Slightly more on-topic: I wouldn't mind paying road tax for my bike, provided there was a decent network of dedicated cycle lanes. Whether it would be realistically enforceable, i'm not so sure.

On a side note, I think cyclists who blatantly ignore red lights and cycle right through should be fined massively. Every time I'm waiting in my car at a red light, and I see some ******** cyclist casually cycle right through without so much as showing any hesitance, I actually pray that a big lorry or something comes along and turns them to paste. You are no better than the rest of us, you ******** cyclists, wait at the red light like everybody else!

I always give a little blast of my horn just when they are level with me, in the hope that it will make them jump enough to lose control and plough face first into the inevitable pile of broken glass at the edge of the road. Rarely works though; as already mentioned they usually have their headphones blaring out. :(
 
Moral of the story: there are idiots everywhere, bike/car/on foot.

I have to say that is very true. The best thing to do when you are out an about is to assume that everyone else is stupid and is going to do something stupid at the worst possible moment.

Thinking like this and aniticipating will go a long way to keeping you out of trouble.

I always give a little blast of my horn just when they are level with me, in the hope that it will make them jump enough to lose control and plough face first into the inevitable pile of broken glass at the edge of the road. Rarely works though; as already mentioned they usually have their headphones blaring out.

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I keep thinking about getting insurance as if you crash it would be needed, probs wont get any until it's enforced though.

I think Cyclists are safe on the road, it's only stupid woman in 4x4 who turn out in front of you to only turn off the road 10 meters further down the road that make it unsafe, oh and people turning left without indicated, I learnt the hard way! Also drivers that pull over without indicated.

The cyclists that are not safe on the road are those who go through red lights, it's stupid really, this guy did it 3 or 4 times yesterday, he got no where as I overtook him every time. They are to impatient and I would not stop to see if he was ok if he got hit by a car.
 
I saw another cyclist get hit by a van when going through a red light and at the time i thought he got what he deserved.

Cycling is very dangerous there's a lot of people that in there car will moan about them but unless you are out there on the bike you never understand how dangerous the roads are at times lorries can suck you under and annoying drains which a lot of cars force you into this is why people jump on the paths and the path routes can be a lot quicker.

Bikes being on paths is fine if they go slow but you do get idiots that go full speed so I think in major cities they shouldn't be allowed on the paths.
 
So, apart from the cyclists themselves, everyone else thinks they should be made to ride on the road of shot: all in favour? :eek:;)
 
Almost everyone who has some form of home insurance actually has insurance for losses incurred whilst cycling (inc third party losses) as any half decent home insurance policy includes a public liability section which extends to include cycling (but excludes motorised forms of transport).

Seems that not a lot of people know that.
 
On a side note, I think cyclists who blatantly ignore red lights and cycle right through should be fined massively. Every time I'm waiting in my car at a red light, and I see some ******** cyclist casually cycle right through without so much as showing any hesitance, I actually pray that a big lorry or something comes along and turns them to paste. :mad:

So much vitirol towards cyclists. Obviously, you don't like the fact that they are getting a headstart on the traffic lights over you. Tough.

I don't condone the light jumping. I myself am a cyclist and motorcyclist and have always obeyed the rules, however, getting yourself angry like that isnt going to change anything. I can well imagine you getting road rage, which isn't a good thing.

If you want to jump lights, then I suggest you buy a bicycle and do the same.

+1 again. I see that almost DAILY. And they always get away with it. Extremely irritating.

One of the moments you wish your car had a 30mm radar-guided cannon sticking out of the sunroof.

Again, I think this is going too far. They are breaking the law, but are not hurting anyone. All they are doing is irritating you over the fact that they are getting a headstart at traffic lights, on your car. I suggest you get a bicycle and jump some lights and hopefully it will ease your irritation; just make sure you do it on quiet roads and not on big junctions.

Another method of getting through traffic faster is by using a motorbike. This is the sole reason why I decided to only learn to ride motorbikes and not cars. Coming from a cycling background, I would find it very frustrating sitting in traffic jams, when as a cyclist or motorcyclist, you can just filter through traffic.

What really irritates me is car drivers who use their big cars to travel 4 miles. That is plain ridiculous.

On topic: Road tax for cyclists - NO WAY.
 
I have a bicycle and a car, I think cyclists should obey traffic signals and maybe some sort of 3rd party insurance. On the other hand I also think more should be done to encourage cycling and raising awareness amongst other road users of the difficulties cyclists can face. Road tax is a no no, if some cars don't need it why should a bicycle.

On a truck forum a while back, there were people moaning about cyclists using the roads and people moaning about cyclists using the pavement. Sometimes you can not win.

Oh yeah, and I had a close shave with an artic, involving a lengthy stay in hospital some 10 to 12 years ago.

EDIT: Maybe cyclists should be encouraged to use a little more road instead of bumping over the drains and manhole covers all the time.
 
I saw another cyclist get hit by a van when going through a red light and at the time i thought he got what he deserved.

Yep. He took the risk and on this occassion, it didnt pay off. I don't wish bad on anyone, but when you run a red light, you do so at your own risk.
 
When on my Mountain bike I am a law unto myself, Road laws do Not apply, I ignore traffic lights, road direction, No entrys the lot & I even ride on the pavement dodging pedestrians, It is my God given right.

Dude, are you serious?
 
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