Food for Thought: Should Cyclists Pay Road Tax?
- Thread starter Ricochet J
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Soldato
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Probably no, though I think in an *IDEAL* (read disney land kind of idealist reality) that cycle paths added for people for bikes or footpaths wide enough for people to use along with people walking.
As it is, it always seemed a bit "iffy" to watch some guy pedaling along at 10 MPH on some road with trucks hurtling around at 50 or something.
As it is, it always seemed a bit "iffy" to watch some guy pedaling along at 10 MPH on some road with trucks hurtling around at 50 or something.
There are paths like that with lines down the middle with one side designated for walking and the other for cycling. I walk to Uni on one most days and although my bike is back home it's nice to know that if I had it I could cycle that very same route!
I'd agree.
I assume the fast cyclist was riding a road bike with calliper brakes?
I've ridden bikes, downhill at around 41mph and I can tell you, the bike feels unstable and knowing that my brakes are not capable of stopping me in time should anything bad happen ahead of me, makes it very dangerous. Motor vehicles can safely do 45mph, mainly because they have powerful brakes and can come to an emergency stop, in a short distance. Riding a road bike with calliper brakes, at fast speeds is definitely dangerous.
Completely irrelevant to the original topic, but there are two things that really annoy me about cyclists.
The first is red light jumping, which has been covered here in depth. I don't drive, but used to get a lift in to work and most days would see at least one person cycle straight through a red light without looking down adjoining roads to see if anything is coming. Similar is when they sail across crossings without assessing the situation. There's a crossing I use daily where cars can enter from a non-obvious place. Saw a chav almost get collected there -- luckily for him the taxi driver was on the ball enough to see him coming, in the end just clipping the kid's wheel. We thought there was something wrong with the kid after getting no response when we asked him if he was okay... turns out he couldn't hear us as his ipod was on too loud!
The second is idiots who cycle down major roads with both their hands in their pockets. It's an effort to stop myself from stepping in front of them to see how they'd react, but I know exactly what would happen -- they'd end up falling off their bike into the path of oncoming traffic. I don't get how someone can be quite so cocky to behave like that.
Cambridge is better than most places for cycle paths, but some are badly thought out. There are several that share a footpath (without a dividing line) which makes walking along them a pretty unpleasant experience!
The first is red light jumping, which has been covered here in depth. I don't drive, but used to get a lift in to work and most days would see at least one person cycle straight through a red light without looking down adjoining roads to see if anything is coming. Similar is when they sail across crossings without assessing the situation. There's a crossing I use daily where cars can enter from a non-obvious place. Saw a chav almost get collected there -- luckily for him the taxi driver was on the ball enough to see him coming, in the end just clipping the kid's wheel. We thought there was something wrong with the kid after getting no response when we asked him if he was okay... turns out he couldn't hear us as his ipod was on too loud!
The second is idiots who cycle down major roads with both their hands in their pockets. It's an effort to stop myself from stepping in front of them to see how they'd react, but I know exactly what would happen -- they'd end up falling off their bike into the path of oncoming traffic. I don't get how someone can be quite so cocky to behave like that.
Cambridge is better than most places for cycle paths, but some are badly thought out. There are several that share a footpath (without a dividing line) which makes walking along them a pretty unpleasant experience!
Soldato
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No they shouldn't.
They keep saying people should get out of their cars, but adding a tax for riding a bike wouldn't help the situation.
They keep saying people should get out of their cars, but adding a tax for riding a bike wouldn't help the situation.
I agree with it. I don't jump red lights in my car, but if you're going to do so it's much safer to go before the other stream of traffic starts moving. Regardless, I see far more cyclists jump lights when I go into the city centre than cars.
Associate
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Can't say I've had a problem on either bike. This is mainly due to having foresight and being aware of the road conditions and the road ahead meaning I never ride on the things. Easy.
Part of my commute to work takes me on a busy, de-restricted dual-carriageway. For their safety, the council have kindly provided a cycle path running along side the road, and yet you still get these 'tards in full lycra on these expensive racing bikes riding down the main road - often forcing road users to brake from 70mph to <30mph if they are blocked from overtaking. Disgusts me 
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Part of my commute to work takes me on a busy, de-restricted dual-carriageway. For their safety, the council have kindly provided a cycle path running along side the road, and yet you still get these 'tards in full lycra on these expensive racing bikes riding down the main road - often forcing road users to brake from 70mph to <30mph if they are blocked from overtaking. Disgusts me
Don't know what the lanes near you are like but the ones i have used are terrible and stop from making any sort of decent progress so I often use the road instead. That said I make an effort not to affect any of the traffics progress.
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Could you link me to a news story about a family killed on the Motorway as a direct result of another driver exceeding the posted speed limit?
Soldato
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whilst i dont think cyclists should pay road tax. i think horse riders should! the ones around here think they own the road usually walking 2 abreast and then the horses poop all down the road which i then have to drive through. make them pay!
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The tyres on my road bike are 23mm wide and I can tell you I am not going anywhere near drains or potholes with them. Firstly it is simple dangerous. Speed + drain or pothole is more than likely going to cause me injury it is also going to damage my wheels and each wheel on my bike costs a lot of money. Riding in the edge of the road simply isn't recommend. As for getting a better bike, well the thing costs the better part of a grand so I suppose you want me to send it back and spend more than a grand?
I also own a mountain bike (equipped with road going slicks) and although this has a lot less problems with pot holes and drains I am still going to ride towards the middle of the lane as it makes me more visible to motorists and is safer for me.
With regards to your second poitn sure I should only be doing 30MPH in a 30MPH zone but then so should car drivers. I am not excusing myself but rather telling of the cool response from the police.
Thats very stupid, I've got a £1000 cannondale, had 23mm tyres, would be dangerous going over some drains, you are trying to tell me a £50 heap of crap with propor thick MTB tyres is going to be better?
Dont talk rubbish
Some of the comments in here are plain stupid tbh.
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I dunno, but I never had issue on drains personally
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Until there is decent provision in this country for cyclists absolutely no. If we had a cycle network similar to our european counterparts you could just about justify it.
You've never ridden a road bike then, you'd have issues with some drains then if you went over them.
The tyres are that thin for a reason too, so you can go faster, also should not be riding that close to the side of the road anyway, I usually leave about 1-2ft between me and the side of the road.
Drivers attitudes towards cyclists stink I think, if they want cyclists off the road that bad why don't they use all their tax to pay for a country wide cycle route network, smooth paved roads specifically for cyclists, going alongside motorways and all that.
No winning, either way they'll moan. As tax pays for these things.
Sure, use income tax or what not to pay for that .. hell they can probably even use road tax - given how out of the 50bn a year collected from motorists only 8bn is spent on roads