I agree about buying a bike license for education purposes, and because it
would be cheap and a good symbolic gesture.

But the real problem is thousands a year per auto in subsidies. These are
definitely punitive to cyclists as they directly threaten our lives by
raising the amount of heavy machinery we must operate amongst.

Removing subsidies would save most drivers, as once the true costs were up
front, they would seek alternatives to reduce driving. For example, a
driver figures he can save $1000 a year in subsidies if he carpools. He
then saves $2000 a year in auto costs.

This would apply across the board. With more people using mass transit,
transit subsidies can be reduced.

With more and more people using fewer vehicles (especially during rush hour)
the demand for more road space stops. Money going towards more roads goes
towards stopping our growing "roads and bridges debt" - trillions in
maintenance delayed.

Imagine combining cycling, car pooling, telecommuting, car sharing
(neighborhood rental) and transit hubs. You ride your bike to the transit
hub (convenience store, coffee house, newspaper stand, gym, day care, etc.)
then four of your co-workers pull up in a mini van. You log into your job
and start making money while commuting. You once spent 8 hours a week
driving to work, plus 8 hours working to drive. Now the money you once paid
in subsidies pays for the few thousand miles a year you now drive. After
coming home, you want to go out. The same vehicles people used for
carpooling are at the transit hub and other neighborhood locations. For 40
cents a mile and a dollar an hour, you can rent whatever you want.


"Trudi Marrapodi" wrote in message
...
In article . net, "Robert
Haston" wrote:
I'm curious: what about other taxes? I don't own property myself. Then
again, I do pay rent, which can be construed as helping my landlord
indirectly to pay his property tax.

How about: every road, parking lot, light, traffic cop, etc. on every
military, federal, state, and local government installation? Gas taxes
don't pay for those. How about several dozen billion a year in health
insurance covering auto accident injuries? How about pollution? How
many
lost days due to pollution aggravated asthma or bronchitis, or all the
damage to structures, agriculture, and fisheries due to acid rain?

Very good points. I will remember them the next time someone tries to
imply, in off-road coversation, that cyclists don't really subsidize the
roadways unless they also drive and pay gasoline taxes or drivers' license
fees.

As for me, I'd gladly apply for and buy a bike license...if it would: a)
get these idiots who act as if I don't belong on the road to shut up, and
b) force those who want to ride a bicycle to obtain one, hence forcing
them to subject themselves to "cyclist ed" training that would teach them
about riding on the correct side of the road, signaling, stopping for
lights, using the left turn lanes, lighting themselves up at night, not
weaving onto and off the sidewalk from the road just to skip the parked
cars alongside parts of it, not weaving in and out of traffic, not riding
on the sidewalk and buzzing me when I'm walking on it, etc.
--
Trudi

"Boy, there sure is a lot of tension around here tonight. It's like a Joan
Crawford movie."