New state law allows vehicle surcharge for bike lanes

Press Democrat ^ | September 20, 2014

[rey]

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Jerry Brown has signed a bill allowing local governments to impose a vehicle registration surcharge to pay for bike lanes and trails.

The governor's office said in a statement that Brown signed the bill in Sacramento on Saturday.

It lets cities, counties or regional park districts to impose an annual vehicle registration surcharge of up to $5 to pay for local bike lanes and trails.

The surcharge can be imposed until Jan. 1, 2025.

Democratic Sen. Mark DeSaulnier of Concord sponsored the bill that passed the Senate 24-9 in August.

Opponents argued that drivers should not have to pay for trails and lanes for cyclists.

[VRWCarea51]

Socialist crap. Make everyone with a vehicle pay for someone else’s use

Dumb bastards, just sell a annual sticker to cyclists. If they don’t have one, ticket them.

[GeronL]

good question

[Mears]

You ride on sidewalks????????????

Gee,the walkers must be delighted.

.

[nathanbedford]

I for one believe that equestrians have equal claim as bicyclists to government dollars to maintain riding trails but that, of course, would be rejected out of hand as elitist -actually the wrong kind of elitist, bicyclists are the new elitists.

People don't understand horses, as evidenced by recent legislation concerning slaughter and the efforts to remove them from New York City. And there is certainly a prejudice against riders as a class, especially Fox hunters ("the unspeakable pursuing the inevitable") which is entirely misplaced.

Bicyclists on trails do not relieve car drivers on streets of competition with bicyclists engage in commerce, only from those bicyclists pursuing recreation off-road. The same can be said for equestrians. Why do horse enthusiasts not have an equal claim? One can extend the argument to include all matter of off-road vehicles used for recreation and these recreationists certainly would be met with uncharted hostility in Sacramento.

First you win the culture war, then you win the political war.

[RightGeek]

I'll ante up some extra!

[Mastador1]

The democrats new non tax, the surcharge. This let’s moonbeam and his idiot brethren claim they don’t raise taxes. When I was in high school in the golden state I had a car that was twelve years old and paid $14 annual registration. I have the same year and model now, only it’s fifty one years old but now the registration is $94. They surcharge the carp out of you in this state!

[S.O.S121.500]

Had ENOUGH Yet ?

[jespasinthru]

Well of course we slow down when we approach pedestrians, and ring the bell when we’re coming up behind them and they can’t see us. And take care to dodge the yappy little doggies, of course, who have a tendency to chase bikes when they’re not leashed. This ain’t New York or California, after all. The sidewalks are usually empty unless it’s the cool of the evening.

[ronnie raygun]

Side street in nyc, single lane residential street for cars now divided to make room for bicycle lane, these idiots are insane. Now drivers have to pay for it also. Looking for liberal progressive marxist insanity look no further than the cesspool cities they control

[Yorlik803]

Why are people who ride bikes treated like gods? People who own cars pay for the upkeep and freeloaders gets all the benefits.

[trebb]

Annual bicycle licensing?

Don't know how it is now, but in the '60s, NY had a bicycle license...for the bike, not the rider.

[ThePatriotsFlag]

And your taxes buy the bike lane or roadside bike trails and the damned bikers ride in the streets with a bike trail brand new, smooth and flat 20 feet to their right. A law to ticket them should be cowritten with the law that funds the bike lanes.

[petitfour]

I don’t know. I doubt my son felt like a god when he was hit by a car that was driven by someone without a clue. Or eyes apparently. There are no bike lanes where we live. People drive like maniacs even on crowded residential streets. And they are so often distracted by their cell phones and Sirius radios that they veer a little to the right every so often. I don’t know that a bike lane would have helped. All my son was trying to do was ride his bike to school a mile away. More children should be walking or riding bikes to school.

[Yorlik803]

The Bike lanes here are nothing more than white lines painted on the ground. And all to often the bikers just weave in and out of traffic without regard to rules of the road or fear of being punished.

[Ditter]

Same with bike lanes here in Houston, just a small white strip on the side of the street. 2 bikers were killed just 2 blocks from my house the first week the strip was painted. Bicycles are fun, but on city streets they are dangerous.

[petitfour]

Yes, I can imagine after having lived in a very bike friendly city for years. I was a bit hostile about cyclists whenever I had to drive in the areas they frequented. College campus cyclists are the worst. I am thankful we managed to navigate them without splattering one. I would like to see some accommodation in my area for cyclists or even pedestrians. I see people walking on the side of roads here all the time. One distraction by a driver is all it takes. I think this area was once sparsely populated. It outgrew the roads, and there are not many sidewalks. :(

[Yorlik803]

Its a perfect storm between bikers who act like they cant be killed and drivers blabbing on their cellphones who wouldn’t see a marching band in front of them.

[Ditter]

About 20 years ago I bought a bicycle and started riding with a group west of Houston on some small roads, it was great fun, no traffic and such good exercise but I quickly learned not to ride on city streets. I would take my bike to a bike trail nearby but I would not ride it to get there. City bike riders have a chip or their shoulder or a death wish. Not me.

[Spktyr]

I don’t get a free pass for my motorcycle just because I also own a car, why should bicycles?