Should Bicyclists Pay?

[Urban Cowboy]

Well I also exponentially pay more via gas taxes, so how is that an argument for bicycles getting a free ride?

Bicycles cost ICBC money, hence us automobile drivers pay more via higher rates, yet the bicycles still get off scot-free not paying insurance nor licensing fees.

Thanks for all of that. Those of us on two wheels appreciate it. And the potholes, we love the potholes you leave behind burning all that gas you pay for.

Because as we all know there are soooooo many potholes on the shoulder and bike lanes. Nice try.

[Ken7]

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/c ... spartandhp



This is very sad, and if it was a cyclist being run down by a truck what would the outcome have been?

[spooker]

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/cyclist-fined-dollar1000-for-running-red-light-killing-calgary-senior/ar-BB10Ecxp?ocid=spartandhp



This is very sad, and if it was a cyclist being run down by a truck what would the outcome have been?

Terry Campbell, who was killed by the truck at Baron & Banks in 2016 was fined about the same ... the driver who killed Patricia Keenan wasn't even ticketed ...

According to lawyers there is no intent of road users to kill people, so criminal charges are not the outcome ...

It's too bad that "stupid" isn't a crime ... but we definitely wouldn't have enough prisons if that was so

[Bsuds]

Also it is not always the drivers fault.

[butcher99]

Off roads vehicles need to be registered too.

Why not get cyclists to register their bikes and pay for insurance.

Share the road, the costs and responsibilities.

Sure. Lets make everyone pay according to the damage they cause to the roads. That would take most of the large trucks off the roads but so what.

[common_sense_guy]

All should pay to use the road.I would go one step further and have them pass a bikers test , and get a permit like all drivers.there are too many bikers break all rules of the road, they do not think if thet get hit it hurts them more the a car or truck. I REPEAT TEST THEM TO BE ABLE TO USE THE ROAD.

Yeah that's all we need is more government getting in the way of something as simple as hopping on a bike and riding. No thanks. We need less government not more. More government means more taxation. We've had enough.

[bob vernon]

Yeah, why can't we have lower taxes and be more like the US. You know, with minimum wages of about $7.50. No Medicare. Paying $3500 a month for insulin. Stuff like that. Here in Canada we're living in a taxation hell.

[Sparki55]

Yeah, why can't we have lower taxes and be more like the US. You know, with minimum wages of about $7.50. No Medicare. Paying $3500 a month for insulin. Stuff like that. Here in Canada we're living in a taxation hell.

Love this argument lol.

I guess our taxes are used 100% correctly and we might as well pay more since we have it so good in Canada.

Not sure why minimum wage and taxes are linked?

Most people will agree with basic medical care, security and economy systems to be managed by the government. Essentially creating a fair and level playing field for everyone to live by. Adding in bicycle licensing and management, lol, really? What's next, will I have to pass a pedestrian course to walk on the sidewalk?

We are taxed quite high for what we get. Most people will only use healthcare later in life, receive a high school education and will use public maintained roadways. The average family will pay around $20,000 a year in tax, for what exactly? Say this family exists as a whole for 30 years, that's over $600,000 in taxes (income tax, sales tax, carbon tax, licensing). Besides putting two kids through high school and the odd doctor checkup, was the money worth it?

Now some of you think we need to add another fee for riding bicycles! Insurance, licensing, testing, enforcement, court cases to ensure enforcement, etc. Come on, be serious. What happens when junior gets a bike at 12 and rides to his friend's house on the weekends, does he need a license?

[techrtr]

We see stories about rising car insurance costs, there are claims costs associated with bicycles in traffic.

We see cities/towns building bicycle paths that cost fortunes, but benefit only a small slice of the population, while often causing trouble for others, from small businesses through to commuters stuck with fewer lanes on bridges.

Car drivers pay:

- license fees
- driver's license fees
- gasoline taxes
- big chunks of sales tax on used sales
- parking fees
- many pay Translink fees
- property taxes (or rents indirectly) increased by the costs of bicycle paths, bicycle lanes, bicycle racks etc.
- tolls

Is it time for the "free rider" bicyclists to pay their share? I think so!

Uhh, I ride a bike as much as I can but I also pay property taxes, insurance on three cars and a motorcycle so . . .

[Boosted632]

licensing your bicycle was mandatory here when I was a kid im not sure why it isn't anymore

[spooker]

licensing your bicycle was mandatory here when I was a kid im not sure why it isn't anymore

Mostly because the fees collected never paid for the overhead it cost ...

Though this has been proposed many times, no-one has managed to make registration of people cycling or their cycles a workable proposition. Aside from any concerns about how to register children, whether the registration is for the vehicle or the person, or what rules one would have to follow in order to acquire such a licence, we know that registration schemes have no real value. The costs and complexity of introducing any such system would significantly outweigh the benefits.

https://cyclingfallacies.com/en/33/cycling-should-require-a-licence-and-registration

[ninetyninepct]

Any cyclist with a tiny bit of intelligence will have liability incurance. They can be found responsible for causing an accident and can be sued.It isn't much of a step to from riding on the street to living on the street. Who would be responsible for the cost of fender and front end damage as well as washing the blood and body parts off the vehicle?

[Deean]

Since they put bike paths on roads, keep narrowing road for bicycle paths, I think they should not only pay, but have the same rules as automobile traffic. Whats with this rule the people in cars have to look out for them? What ever happened to "you must walk your bicycle across an intersection?

[spooker]

Since they put bike paths on roads, keep narrowing road for bicycle paths, I think they should not only pay, but have the same rules as automobile traffic. Whats with this rule the people in cars have to look out for them? What ever happened to "you must walk your bicycle across an intersection?

Sorry to burst your bubble, but cyclists do have the same rules as cars, and actually a few more ... and since they are considered legal road vehicles just like cars you have to look out for them just as you would any other traffic ... if a cyclist is crossing an intersection in the crosswalk they are required to walk their bike, unless the crossing has "elephant feet" which will typically be where a multi-use or cycle track is and then they are allowed to ride across

Thanks for playing this round of "what's my beef" ... feel free to play again

[firsttimecaller]

I get that some people just can't stand cyclists. I prefer to cycle than drive for a host of reasons. It's healthy, emission free, no fuel costs. I also insure two vehicles and pay property tax. Every cyclist I know also owns at least one vehicle. When we choose to commute to work on our bikes it means our cars are parked at home, which means we aren't contributing to traffic congestion.

I guess what I am getting at is that as a cyclist I already pay my share for the roads I'm using. Should I pay more to park my insured vehicle on my municipally taxed property and choose to ride my bike?