You may not want to ride a bike

[Steve_S]

And they do not "pay the same road taxes as everyone else"! At least not in Alabama...part of the drivers license fee goes into the general fund which is used for road repairs! As does part of the taxes I pay when I license my cars every year.

"Cyclists" don't pay those taxes!

Why would you assume that a cyclist doesn't have a driver's license? Or own a car?

Anyone who holds a valid driver's license is paying the same taxes you are. Anyone who owns a registered vehicle is also paying the same taxes you are.

Therefore they ARE paying for the use of the road, but are damaging it less than you are by riding a bicycle instead of driving a multi-thousand-pound machine.

 

[tony barnhill]

And they do not "pay the same road taxes as everyone else"! At least not in Alabama...part of the drivers license fee goes into the general fund which is used for road repairs! As does part of the taxes I pay when I license my cars every year.

"Cyclists" don't pay those taxes!

Why would you assume that a cyclist doesn't have a driver's license? Or own a car?

Anyone who holds a valid driver's license is paying the same taxes you are. Anyone who owns a registered vehicle is also paying the same taxes you are.

Therefore they ARE paying for the use of the road, but are damaging it less than you are by riding a bicycle instead of driving a multi-thousand-pound machine.

If they do own a car, they're paying taxes only for the use of that car - not the bike!

I pay taxes to operate my cars & to operate my motorcycle separately - & both are licensed!! If they own a car, they're paying taxes only on that car!

And, while I agree that bicycles do less damage to the road than cars, were they to pay taxes to operate their bike, they might be more respectful of the rules of the road! & if bikes were licensed, state troopers or deputy sheriffs' might be more inclined to cite them when they do disobey the rules of the road!

 

[Steve_S]

Traffic citations are handed out to cyclists when warranted, but typically the police have better things to do with their time. Traffic infractions by bicycles are usually very minor violations and almost never result in physical harm to others or property damage.

You pay a registration fee on your motorcycle (or car) because it's a regulated machine being operated in a public place. It costs the state time and money to keep records of motor vehicles, hence the fees. Bicycles are not regulated and therefore no reason exists to charge for their use. No chemical emissions are being produced and they are not a notable danger to others when being operated.

By paying road tax on a car but not using it (riding a bicycle instead), the cyclist is the one getting the bad deal. You're coming out ahead. I wish more people would stay out of their cars and ride bicycles instead. Europe grasped this concept 100 years ago and still practices it.

 

[angelfj1]

Steve, Tony: I think it's time for milk and cookies and then maybe a bedtime story. Enough already

 

[Guest]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]Bicycles are not regulated and therefore no reason exists to charge for their use. No chemical emissions are being produced and they are <span style="font-weight: bold">not a notable danger to others when being operated.</span>[/QUOTE]

Ever been to NYC? See the delivery and courier cyclists there and you may wish to revisit that opinion. Especially as a pedestrian...

 

[Steve_S]

Been there many times. Legally, bicycles are not allowed on sidewalks where bike messenger accidents are most likely to occur.

I never said bicycles weren't any danger whatsoever to pedestrians. I stated that compared to cars, bicycles are not much of a threat to person and property. The federal government and all state governmental bodies would seem to agree with this, hence no regulation or licensing necessary to operate a bicycle.

That said, I think we're getting away from the point of this thread. My primary argument in this thread is against the incredibly insensitive statements regarding people getting injured and killed by cars. I can't believe people actually think that way! Different folks, different strokes I suppose.

As for my standpoint, I don't condone the few rude or reckless cyclists one may encounter on a given day, nor do I condone the same behavior by millions of drivers who shouldn't be allowed behind the wheel. Heck, there are people who are a danger to others by simply walking down the sidewalk not to mention rollerbladers, skateboarders, etc. They use the road, but we don't tax them either and rightfully so. If they misbehave dangerously, they can and should be cited. Otherwise I say lighten up and find a way to relax behind the wheel, even if it takes a few extra minutes to get home.

Maybe if we adopt the same education as Europe regarding road use and driving, things here would work as well as they do over there. I know, wishful thinking! But it's depressing whenever I come back here and see how poorly people treat one another in their cars.

 

[Guest]

Funny, I was brought up in the UK, drove there for 15 years before coming here.

The drivers there are just flat out better trained and more capable. Mirrors aren't just for makeup, and allowing people to pass doesn't just happen in the abstract.

The drivers here though are way more polite and a lot less aggressive on the whole. Alternate merge as a concept just wouldn't work in London. I put it down to guns in cars, but am prepared to be contradicted...

 

[tony barnhill]

UH-OH..I'm staying clear of that one...hehehehe!

I hope no bicyclist is ever injured on the road & my thoughts about insensitive cyclists are in no way pointed towards people who might be injured or killed by cars....but I do believe that each cyclist is responsible for his or her actions just as auto drivers are for theirs - my last word on the subject!

 

[donbmw]

Just on the news today we had a guy arested for DUI on a bicycle last night and this was not his first.

Don

 

[Deleted member 3577]

I don't know who I'd rater <span style="font-style: italic">upset</span> (pun intended)

or

 

[Steve_S]

The drivers there [the UK] are just flat out better trained and more capable. Mirrors aren't just for makeup, and allowing people to pass doesn't just happen in the abstract.

Indeed. It's very difficult to obtain a driver's lisence, and after you do, there is still a significant probational period where you even have to put a special sticker on your car to let others know you're a novice.

The drivers here though are way more polite and a lot less aggressive on the whole. Alternate merge as a concept just wouldn't work in London. I put it down to guns in cars, but am prepared to be contradicted...

I would agree if speaking about London, but in Europe as a whole, I've found most drivers to be somewhat selfless, even if they are driving aggressively. I just returned from my latest trip, spending time in Austria and Germany. Even in larger cities traffic moved smoothly and horns were seldom used because people know what needs to be done to keep everything flowing. I don't believe I was ever denied merging into a lane. In most US cities, turning on a blinker is a warning to other drivers to close all gaps as quickly as possible.

The week before last I was in Egypt for two weeks, mostly in Cairo. I've spent time there before and it still amazes me that people aren't killed on every corner. In that country there is a complete, and I mean COMPLETE disregard for all traffic rules. I could write a book about the amazing things I saw there. The first thing you learn is that lines and other markings in the road are only a vague suggestion of which direction you should be traveling, and nothing more. Still, you never see road rage and even the worst traffic finds a way to move better than many US freeways. Don't start me on southeast Asia.

 

[Steve_S]

I don't know who I'd rater <span style="font-style: italic">upset</span> (pun intended)

or

I grew up doing both of those - veledrome sprint racing and motorcycling. I'm not sure who I'd rather upset either! LOL! You could probably outrun the biker I suppose.

 

[DeltaAir423]

One thing I can never understand on the highways here, is the proper use for the lanes. Keep to the right unless passing! If there's three lanes, left is for passing, middle is for cruise, and right is for acceleration or deceleration for entrance and exit of the highway. I'll be in the middle lane, and I cannot count how many times I've been passed on the right, and the dirty looks that I get for doing the speed limit.

 

[Steve_S]

In much of Europe (here I go about Europe again) you will see cars literally weaving from the slow lane into the passing lane, and once past a car back into the slow lane. It's rare you see anyone sitting in the passing lane (called fast lane here in the US) and you virtually NEVER see someone just sitting in that lane with a faster vehicle behind them.

 

[Steve]

In much of Europe (here I go about Europe again) you will see cars literally weaving from the slow lane into the passing lane, and once past a car back into the slow lane. It's rare you see anyone sitting in the passing lane (called fast lane here in the US) and you virtually NEVER see someone just sitting in that lane with a faster vehicle behind them.

Agreed, in general.

Last time I was in the UK I saw less of that, and more overtaking on either side on the motorways.

But yes, the accepted routine is to pull out, pass, pull back in to the inside lane. When I drove in Belgium recently that was the norm.

 

[tony barnhill]

I spent 6 weks in Europe last summer & it was a real joy to drive there....part of the problem with left lane drivers is they're taught that now in driver's ed classes ("pick a lane & stay in it") as being safer than changing lanes....though it is not so safe for those who run up on those slow folks in the left lane.

 

[Steve_S]

Last time I was in the UK I saw less of that, and more overtaking on either side on the motorways.

The busier an area gets, the fewer people you see using good etiquette. Sad, really.

 

[Tinster]

The week before last I was in Egypt for two weeks, mostly in Cairo. I've spent time there before and it still amazes me that people aren't killed on every corner. In that country there is a complete, and I mean COMPLETE disregard for all traffic rules. I could write a book about the amazing things I saw there. Still, you never see road rage and even the worst traffic finds a way to move better than many US freeways. Don't start me on southeast Asia.

<span style="color: #990000">Steve, how Cairo right you are!!

Plus their traffic lanes are narrower and it scares
the bageesiz out you.... with cars only two inches
away on either side of you. And talk about brown dust!
But we enjoyed the food and local folks were pretty nice.

I must confess, though, we told folks, who asked, that
we were tourists from Canada.

d</span>

 

[Steve_S]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]with cars only two inches
away on either side of you[/QUOTE]
...which is why 95% of the cars there look like painted aluminum foil.

 

[racingenglishcars]

I am truly impressed by the arrogance and narrow-mindedness of the people on this forum.