Food for Thought: Should Cyclists Pay Road Tax?

[LordSplodge]

Yep, rypt is right with this one

Apart from the one person who argued against I doubt you'd get any others to agree with his point of view. Cyclists are bound by the rules of the road and thus should follow them and just like car drivers some will some won't - or more realistically most will break the law when they think they can get away with it or it is deemed to only be a little infraction of the law like the aforementioned 35 in a 30 limit.

You can get some cyclocross bikes with disk brakes and quite possibly some road bikes too. Although if calipers are good enough for Tour De France riders they should be sufficient for most mortals who can't hope to reach such speeds admittedly a cleared course is different to the roads of a city.

Cyclocross bikes can have hydraulic disk breaks for one reason: They are clear of the mud and thus don't reduce in performance by getting clogged with mud.

For road bikes they aren't any better than good dual caliper U breaks. They weigh more as well so start to defeat the point of a road bike as in it should weigh as little as possible. Secondly the main problem is surface area of the tyres. 23mm wide tyres don't have a lot of contact with the road (hence the increase in speed) so when breaking hard locking the wheels up will happen long before the breaks fail due to heat build up or whatever.

There is a simple answer to this: Ride within the conditions of the road. Doing 30-40MPH in heavy traffic in the rain could very well end in pain. Doing 70MPH downhill on a deserted and relatively straight road in the mountains is fine. Kind of like what causes most accidents is inappropriate riding (or driving) rather that speeding on its own!

 

[oddjob62]

Well i'm just back from a collision with a car (my first btw) while i was in a cycle lane (manadatory one as well). Basically a queue of cars being held up while a car in front is waiting to turn right, me in the cycle lane. Just as i'm coming past the front of the queue, the car in front loses patience and decided he wants to get past and cuts right in front of me into the cycle lane, I just manage to swerve enough to not go over his bonnet, but my pedal makes a nasty sound down the front left side of his bodywork.

I slowed down ahead to check nothing was damaged on my bike, and was expecting him to pull over and check his car, but nope, he sped off as fast as he could. My bike was fine so i'm not particularly bothered.

 

[Haggisman]

I just manage to swerve enough to not go over his bonnet, but my pedal makes a nasty sound down the front left side of his bodywork.

Good work! hope it was a nice expensive car.

Managed to annihilate someone's front grille with my pedal after they almost pulled out into me and stopped literally touching aforementioned pedal. Needless to say I put my full weight on it; grinding it through the plastic, and rode off.

Not that I'm condoning that kind of behaviour (wait... actually I am) but when someone is mm away from seriously injuring you, you don't tend to care that much.

 

[LordSplodge]

Good work! hope it was a nice expensive car.
.

Cycle blindness. I have found a lot of car drivers cannot see two wheeled vehicles.

The amount of time they don't see me in high vis gear makes me laugh. They really are that unobservant or just stupid enough to think they can make it through assuming all cyclists go at 5MPH.

 

[antijoke]

I wonder what the CO2 emmissions of a cyclist are.

 

[etom]

paying road tax for what?

if roads had a good cycle path network which was clear and maintained then i would happily pay full road tax. As it happens the cycle paths have holes, they are uneven and they force you off your bike to cross roads like a peadastrian. Until then i'll carry on riding on roads even when there is a cycle path to the annoyance of many cars.

 

[panthro]

No. Horses should though for slowing traffic and causing tailbacks, as well as depositing hefty lumps of manure on the roads.

 

[GSXRMovistar]

In two minds about the Tax thing, firstly I don't agree with road tax anyway (especially a requirement to have on multiple vehicles you own). Would rather they did away with it and put it directly on fuel.

Other consideration is the costs of bike lanes, should the bikers themselves not contribute towards them?

But insurance is something they SHOULD have, as with all types of road users you get good ones and idiots but hopefully when a car/truck/motorbike owner causes an accident they have insurance.

Pedal bike riders don't and they also don't have to pass any form of training/qualification to be on public road which just seems crazy.

 

[Goldy]

No - from an avid cyclist. Cycling/commuting by bike should be encouraged. The Governments cycle to work scheme has proven to be a great success with getting people on bikes and cycling is booming in popularity now. Tax shouldn't be used as a way to appease car owners by penalising cyclists. But as a car owner I think we should also pay less tax and less types of tax!

 

[RDM]

But insurance is something they SHOULD have, as with all types of road users you get good ones and idiots but hopefully when a car/truck/motorbike owner causes an accident they have insurance.

The problem with insurance alone and no licence plates is all that the cyclist need do after smashing your wing mirror while filtering, scratching the side of your car at the lights, going in to the passenger side door because they ignore the whole car stopped with indicators to let a passenger out (all of the above have happened to me) is to carry on cycling and ignore the damage they have done.

 

[willhub]

Cycle blindness. I have found a lot of car drivers cannot see two wheeled vehicles.

The amount of time they don't see me in high vis gear makes me laugh. They really are that unobservant or just stupid enough to think they can make it through assuming all cyclists go at 5MPH.

This is the problem with most drivers, they assume that all cyclists travel at extremely slow speeds, even down hill, I was going down a hill, nice clear straight with cars turning, there I am doing 35+ mph, hand on break to expect what some car drivers will do, and then what happens, a jerk in a merc pulls out assuming I'm he's going to get going before I catch him up, instead I nearly crash into him as my back wheel locks up.

You get people pulling out when they are 100% aware of you there thinking you wont catch them up, but instead I do, I usually just maintain my sensible speed and end up undertaking them, but it's there fault they should not even have turned off.

The problem with insurance alone and no licence plates is all that the cyclist need do after smashing your wing mirror while filtering, scratching the side of your car at the lights, going in to the passenger side door because they ignore the whole car stopped with indicators to let a passenger out (all of the above have happened to me) is to carry on cycling and ignore the damage they have done.

Not all cyclists are like that. And when you where stopped, it depends where you where, serves you right if you where stopped in a place you where not allowed to stop.

Have they scratched the side of your car when there was a cycle lane at the side? Perhaps you where actually not leaving enough room taking up some cycle lane, in which case the blame is partly on yourself.

 

[RDM]

Not all cyclists are like that.

Neither are the vast majority of motorists yet they still need insurance and they still need licence plates.

And when you where stopped, it depends where you where, serves you right if you where stopped in a place you where not allowed to stop.

Nope, it was a residential street with no parking restrictions whatsoever, it wasn't at a junction or on a crossing. Not to mention that any time you pass on the curbside of a vehicle it is considered an at risk move. Especially if it is not moving and indicating.

Have they scratched the side of your car when there was a cycle lane at the side? Perhaps you where actually not leaving enough room taking up some cycle lane, in which case the blame is partly on yourself.

Nope, but I do love how in both situations you are desperately trying to find an excuse for the cyclist. You are aware that even if I had been slightly in a cycle lane it still doesn't give the cyclist right to damage my car? Having been a keen cyclist in the past I know how much room to give them, I know not to go in cycle lanes, I know they are fully allowed to ride two abreast (but it would be inconsiderate to do in some traffic conditions).

 

[rypt]

merc pulls out ... I nearly crash into him as my back wheel locks up.

You do know the "drive/ride at a speed that will allow you to stop within the distance you can see to be clear" still applies to cyclists?

It is amazing how cyclists seem to think that the highway code does not apply to them; when in fact it applies to everyone - from pedestrians, to cyclists, to grannys in their shopmobility things and so on.

 

[Malt_Vinegar]

No - Cyclists use the roads by right, cars by license.

My theory on the cyclist/car driver debate is that as a cyclist, you generally will encounter more road users on your journey (either traffic is slow, so you filter past, or traffic is fast, and you get overtaken a lot) which means you come across more of the poorer drivers.

So to a cyclist, it seems that there a millions of terrible car drivers. Car drivers then pick up on the few instances of poor cycling which they have seen and counter argue.

The truth is, there are proportionally as many bad cyclists, as they are bad motorists.

 

[FishFluff]

Anyone who expects me to stick a tax disc on my bike can **** right off. It'd look ridiculous.

 

[Malt_Vinegar]

You do know the "drive/ride at a speed that will allow you to stop within the distance you can see to be clear" still applies to cyclists?

It is amazing how cyclists seem to think that the highway code does not apply to them; when in fact it applies to everyone - from pedestrians, to cyclists, to grannys in their shopmobility things and so on.

What a bizarre comment, that would mean you would have to progressively slow down at every side street and road junction on your journey to make sure no one pulls out on you. Whatever happened to right of way?

You pull out into a carriageway only when it is safe to do so. Saying that a cyclist will knowingly put himself in a situation where he will collide with a car is just madness. A cyclist generally comes of far worse with a collison. Beleive me, we do all we can to avoid a crash.

Has no-one ever pulled out in-front of you at a junction when driving your car?

 

[willhub]

Neither are the vast majority of motorists yet they still need insurance and they still need licence plates.



Nope, it was a residential street with no parking restrictions whatsoever, it wasn't at a junction or on a crossing. Not to mention that any time you pass on the curbside of a vehicle it is considered an at risk move. Especially if it is not moving and indicating.




Nope, but I do love how in both situations you are desperately trying to find an excuse for the cyclist. You are aware that even if I had been slightly in a cycle lane it still doesn't give the cyclist right to damage my car? Having been a keen cyclist in the past I know how much room to give them, I know not to go in cycle lanes, I know they are fully allowed to ride two abreast (but it would be inconsiderate to do in some traffic conditions).

Does not give the right no, but if it happened, they would not be 100% to blame is what I'm saying. Of course I trying to find an excuse for the cyclists, not desperately so don't try to twist it.

You do know the "drive/ride at a speed that will allow you to stop within the distance you can see to be clear" still applies to cyclists?

It is amazing how cyclists seem to think that the highway code does not apply to them; when in fact it applies to everyone - from pedestrians, to cyclists, to grannys in their shopmobility things and so on.

I know it applys to me, it applied to the guy who should have gave way when he clearly seen me coming, down a wide, clear straight road.

 

[LordSplodge]

But insurance is something they SHOULD have, as with all types of road users you get good ones and idiots but hopefully when a car/truck/motorbike owner causes an accident they have insurance.

Pedal bike riders don't and they also don't have to pass any form of training/qualification to be on public road which just seems crazy.

Insurance wouldn't work and it would discourage more people from cycling however I agree with the idea for mandatory training for cyclists. Probably at school (where they do it on a voluntary basis at the moment)

You do know the "drive/ride at a speed that will allow you to stop within the distance you can see to be clear" still applies to cyclists?

It is amazing how cyclists seem to think that the highway code does not apply to them; when in fact it applies to everyone - from pedestrians, to cyclists, to grannys in their shopmobility things and so on.

Whatever happened to right of way? Do you expect me to slow down at every side junction entering the main carriage way? You make allegations that lots of cyclists break the highway code (my experience as a almost full-time cyclist differs) and then expect other road users not to follow the highway code by pulling out in front of another road user who has right of way!

It is of my personal opinion that you have some kind of grudge against cyclists.

What a bizarre comment

Agreed.

 

[LordSplodge]

...going in to the passenger side door because they ignore the whole car stopped with indicators to let a passenger out (all of the above have happened to me) is to carry on cycling and ignore the damage they have done.

Your passenger (in fact anybody getting out of a parked car on a highway) must check it is clear before opening the door. A cyclist should give a three foot buffer from parked cars to try and avoid this if possible but it isn't always so.

Six of one half a dozen of the other as it where.

 

[RDM]

Of course I trying to find an excuse for the cyclists, not desperately so don't try to twist it.

Why on earth are you trying to find excuses for bad cycling? If someone is being an arse in a car or on a motorbike I don't try and find excuses for them.

Your passenger (in fact anybody getting out of a parked car on a highway) must check it is clear before opening the door. A cyclist should give a three foot buffer from parked cars to try and avoid this if possible but it isn't always so.

Six of one half a dozen of the other as it where.

The passenger was getting out on the curbside not into the highway. The gap was about a meter at most and yet still the cyclist decides that the curbside is a better place to pass.