A bicycle tax?
Jan 27, 2015: Oregon Senate bill would mandate bicycle licenses and registration – UPDATED
"...As I mentioned in the story, this bill was requested by a constituent of Sen. Boquist. His name is Ted Campbell and he’s a 71-year old retired mechanic who lives in Salem, Oregon. We talked to him on the phone last night to share his perspective. Below are some of his comments, edited for clarity:
“I see these bike lanes here in Salem and people don’t use them. They ride in the middle of the road. They run red lights… If a car did that they’d get a ticket.”
“I think my gas tax should be used to repair the road, not build bike lanes… I’ve heard people say, ‘I pay gas tax already,’ but they pay gas tax to drive on this road, not to ride bikes… And they ride into the traffic… And any time a bicyclist gets hurt they blame the motorist regardless of who’s at fault.”
“Down here at Salem city council somebody wanted a lane for longboards. They wanted their own lane to ride their longboard (skateboard). It’s just getting carried away! So I decided instead of sitting around and griping I’d do something about it.”
“We had a professor down here at Western Oregon University who said he wouldn’t ride until the county put a bike lane in on 99E. Than when it got put in he wouldn’t ride in it so he then he rode in the highway and got run over.” (This is a reference to a fatal collision in April 2012).
“I want people to got talk to their legislators about it (the bill). If nothing else, if it brings some attention to it that would satisfy me too. They need to get a ticket… They need to enforce the laws that are there.”
“The reason our roads are in such bad shape is the gas tax doesn’t go strictly to the roads. We need to fence it to just the roads.Fuel tax should be for maintaining the roads.”
“If it does nothing else other than get the police to enforce the laws that are there I’d be happier than heck.” .....
I have advocated that road bicycles have to pass a yearly inspection to prove they are are safe for many years.
Cyclist should pay some road tax for the upkeep of shoulders and such
I am not very welcome in meeting of cycling organizations
How else to pay for bicycle trails and bike lanes?
A bike tax... Children hardest hit...with that tax!!!!