Food for Thought: Should Cyclists Pay Road Tax?

[Jonnycoupe]

Insurance is important really especially if a bicycle gets nicked.

Not if its covered on your house policy already.

 

[Appelhanns]

And look at how and why VED/Road Fund was started and what its purpose was. Just because the fat lump Churchill changed it does make it right

If you are going to quote an article make sure it is factually correct as well please.

VED + Fuel Duty combined give the government £50bn per year, which covers the £20bn more than twice over.

Equally congestion is not a "cost", road maintenance is currently at £8bn a year (and a lot of that is spent on useless things such as cycle tracks and pedestrian crossings - none of which should really come from motorist funding anyway).

I think somebody else made the point earlier that all this road tax doesn't just go into a kitty for motoring stuff you know! It all goes in the tax big pot and gets dished out however they decide.

 

[Amp34]

While this is funny. Doesn't it make you wonder? Who pays for those signs and the cycle lane tarmac and the lane paint? Exactly.

Cyclists should pay tax.

Erm, by my reckoning council tax will have paid for that,so what is your point? (Bearing in mind it is a dual use pavement, which is in fact one of the more annoying cycle tracks around, as pedestrians use the entire thing as a path.)

And look at how and why VED/Road Fund was started and what its purpose was. Just because the fat lump Churchill changed it does make it right

If you are going to quote an article make sure it is factually correct as well please.

VED + Fuel Duty combined give the government £50bn per year, which covers the £20bn more than twice over.

Equally congestion is not a "cost", road maintenance is currently at £8bn a year (and a lot of that is spent on useless things such as cycle tracks and pedestrian crossings - none of which should really come from motorist funding anyway).

You really do have a chip on your sholder don't you? Did you never learn to ride as a child or something and now feel hatred for the fact you can't ride whilst others can?

 

[SkeeterUK]

If their was cycle lanes on EVERY road then i wouldnt mind paying £10 (seems fair) a year to use em. Beats cycling on the part of the road where cars go along.

 

[Thunderbolt]

If you are going to quote an article make sure it is factually correct as well please.

You're taking the **** right?
What makes you think the article isn't factually correct, I'm pretty sure they didn't make the numbers up. I didn't realise this forum was a technical paper, coincidently, if it were its a reliable enough source. May I ask why your post wasn't reference, you could well have pulled that figure out of your bottom.

 

[Wicksta]

Wow there are some pretty backwards opinions of cyclists here, I suggest none of you move to somewhere like Munich where cyclists have a lot more freedom. Cycling is next to impossible around here due to lack of cycle lanes and awful British motorists.

 

[matt_fsr]

I think a lot of motorists fail to realise that every cyclist is 1 less car on the roads.

So if every cyclist decided to say "oh im sick of being verbally abused and run off the roads" (or killed by Russian millionnaires) then there would be lots MORE traffic on the roads, and lots more congestion.

Also, why was there no public outcry when 23 cyclists died on the roads in London in 2008? (BBC news last night)

Cant find a source but found this re: September 08
http://www.leighday.co.uk/news/news-archive/cycle-deaths-mount-in-london

Knife crime in London? Headline news, prime Govt business all of a sudden.
4 Dead cyclists in a month.... barely a mention.

 

[LordSplodge]

Wow there are some pretty backwards opinions of cyclists here, I suggest none of you move to somewhere like Munich where cyclists have a lot more freedom. Cycling is next to impossible around here due to lack of cycle lanes and awful British motorists.

Continetal Europe seems to understand cycling far more than Britain and attitudes over there seem to be a lot more tolerant.

I agree with you Wicksta that some of the attitudes here towards cyclists seem to be very backwards or totally one sided based on the minority of idiotic cyclists that occupy our roads.

 

[RDM]

I think a lot of motorists fail to realise that every cyclist is 1 less car on the roads.

So if every cyclist decided to say "oh im sick of being verbally abused and run off the roads" (or killed by Russian millionnaires) then there would be lots MORE traffic on the roads, and lots more congestion.

Not really true. I know several cyclists that can't drive for instance. Also cyclists could care share, take the bus, take the train etc. It would lead to an increase in traffic but by how much is difficult to say and if it would have a significant overall impact on congestion is another question entirely.

Also, why was there no public outcry when 23 cyclists died on the roads in London in 2008? (BBC news last night)

Cant find a source but found this re: September 08
http://www.leighday.co.uk/news/news-archive/cycle-deaths-mount-in-london

Knife crime in London? Headline news, prime Govt business all of a sudden.
4 Dead cyclists in a month.... barely a mention.

How many dead pedestrians? How many dead motorcyclists? How many dead motorists? The figures along mean nothing.

Continetal Europe seems to understand cycling far more than Britain and attitudes over there seem to be a lot more tolerant.

Space is probably the main reason, they have the space to make room for cyclists. We don't really have that.

I agree with you Wicksta that some of the attitudes here towards cyclists seem to be very backwards or totally one sided based on the minority of idiotic cyclists that occupy our roads.

And all of the cyclists have been perfectly reasonable haven't they?

All I would like is for cyclists to be just as accountable as any other road user. I am personally out of pocket because of irresponsible cyclists and have no way of redressing that. Is that fair?

 

[matt_fsr]

I am personally out of pocket because of irresponsible cyclists and have no way of redressing that. Is that fair?

And I'm personally out of pocket from thieving scum who have so far stolen 4 pedal cycles off me, and due to their relative low value I also have no redress. (Insurance claim costs more than the bikes worth)

Short of catching a bike thief in the act and breaking his fingers....

 

[antran]

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.

I was in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam in January. My life got shorten by few days for just being there.

 

[Moonpie]

No way, cycling should be encouraged.

 

[steve-h]

No? I don't like the fact that they don't give a crap about anyone else but themselves. They could cause a serious accident and damage if something were to happen. You don't see motorbikes do it, because at least they have some sense.

You cant generalise millions of people...

While this is funny. Doesn't it make you wonder? Who pays for those signs and the cycle lane tarmac and the lane paint? Exactly.

Cyclists should pay tax.

For the last time... road tax goes into a general pot, its not all spent on the roads. Cyclists cause NO damage to the roads, there for shouldn't pay for the upkeep that is needed because of motors.

and lets face it, its not gonna happen... so you pretty much lose however much you make your dumb points.

 

[Heofz]

You cant generalise millions of people...

Who said I was referring to all cyclists? If you read again I was referring to idiots like that one particular guy who ran the red light and the van that smacked into him. Or are you trying to say that millions of cyclists all run red lights?

For the last time... road tax goes into a general pot, its not all spent on the roads. Cyclists cause NO damage to the roads, there for shouldn't pay for the upkeep that is needed because of motors.

What has this got to do with the fact that money is spent specifically on infrastructure for cyclists, including the million of signs that need to be paid for such as "cycle route" etc. That's like saying "I don't eat apples therefore I don't have to pay for the oranges I eat."

and lets face it, its not gonna happen... so you pretty much lose however much you make your dumb points.

Newsflash, I'm not trying to "win" anything here, I'm merely expressing my opinion that cyclists should pay for things which cost money that's been purchased/maintained specifically for cyclists.

"Dumb points"... lol... the irony

 

[OliP]

I don't think Cyclists should pay road tax because we need more reasons for people to switch to Cycling rather than motor vehicles, if the majority of road users shifted and were Cyclists then a small tax should be put on in order to keep generating some money in order to carry out repairs on our roads, but as Cyclists cause minimal if any damage to roads it would have to be a very small amount.

 

[lsg1r]

I think cyclists should be taxed (not as much as cars obviously), same with horses and those damn granny mobiles.

They all seem to just be in the way where I live and cyclists seem to just stop peddling when a car comes up behind them.

I was always been under the impression/view that road tax (along with insurance) was to allow us to use the roads (we get stopped if we don't have any) so why should motor vehicles be the only ones to pay.

edit: I think they should be insured too

 

[VeNT]

no as cars that have low carbon emissions don't pay tax.
also it would only work if there where roads where cyclists could ride without cars going EVERYWHERE that arn't full of potholes too.

 

[VeNT]

Who said I was referring to all cyclists? If you read again I was referring to idiots like that one particular guy who ran the red light and the van that smacked into him. Or are you trying to say that millions of cyclists all run red lights?

What has this got to do with the fact that money is spent specifically on infrastructure for cyclists, including the million of signs that need to be paid for such as "cycle route" etc. That's like saying "I don't eat apples therefore I don't have to pay for the oranges I eat."

Newsflash, I'm not trying to "win" anything here, I'm merely expressing my opinion that cyclists should pay for things which cost money that's been purchased/maintained specifically for cyclists.

"Dumb points"... lol... the irony

you fail at reading his post

I don't like the fact that they don't give a crap about anyone else but themselves. They could cause a serious accident and damage if something were to happen.

you are giving the impression that you're talking about all cyclists ("they don't give a").


the point he was making is that VEHICAL LICENCE TAX does not PAY FOR ROADS DIRECTLY. the roads are maintained with payments from the government that comes out of the pot from ALL taxes. Last time I checked. cyclists paid NI, income tax and council tax.

hence your fail is doubled.

 

[rypt]

VeNT the point is, road tax and fuel duty contribute more to the government pot than the amount paid out for road maintenance; so it is irrelevant what pot the money comes out of - more money goes in that is paid out - so non road tax payers do not contribute anything.