Huffy vs. Hummer...continued

Today's debate is whether cyclists should pay their 'fair share' to use the roads.

Showing cyclists the money

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Last year, U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters said that building bike lanes and paths isn't a good use of federal transportation dollars. Is she correct? Cyclists Randal O’Toole and Will Campbell continue their debate.

LINK


I think this one is an old, tiresome argument. Motorists often insist that cyclists should pay something toward road use, and I have to assume that the underlying idea is to make riding a bicycle an expensive, onerous experience - just like owning and driving a car - so some cyclists would be inclined to give up two-wheeled transportation. Mandatory helmet laws have the same effect.

But I already pay taxes both for the fuel I purchase (yes, I do own and drive a car) and all those real estate and sales taxes, which support roads to a greater extent than fuel taxes. To my way of thinking, if a motorist objects to the way fuel taxes are spent, he can protest that by riding a bicycle. Pedestrians and horse-drawn vehicles have an equal right to our public roads as well. If you want to enact a tax on horses and affix a license plate to one, be my guest. I'll watch from a safe distance.