Spokesman-Review Letters to the editor
To help the environment, the city keeps adding bike lanes. While well-intended, I believe it has a reverse result. Arterials are cut from four lanes to two lanes, causing traffic jams with resulting auto pollution. Road wear is double on the remaining lanes. Add to this the enormous cost of paint and signs for bike lanes that are rarely used.
Since I doubt there is any way to stop this trend, at least bicycles should be licensed to pay toward the cost. In 1948, I paid 50 cents as a child to license my bicycle. Today, a $33 fee for an adult bicycle license would be appropriate.
Bob Korkus
Spokane
I'm going to ignore the part about the bike lanes being 'barely used' and skip right to the issue of licensing bikes. This is the second time in a day that I've heard this suggestion. A caller commenting on our Regional Bike Plan made the same suggestion. And no, it wasn't the same person as this caller was a woman. So what are your thoughts on licensing bikes?
2 comments:
I think the thought of a bicycle license/tax ( at this time ) is a form of insanity. So you wish to tax those who put their life on the line while reducing ones carbon footprint?
Could bicyclists be considered to be true patriots for lessoning our oil import commitment to countries like Saidi Arabia? (The home of 15 of the 911 terrorists.)
We pay through the nose for the luxury of having automobiles. Cars are a massive expense within the confines of the family budget. Oil, gas/oil, insurance, tabs, repairs, studded tires, :-0, and so on. And yes we pay for all those items and then some while happily leaving the car at home and hitting the road on two wheels.
Its a personal choice to believe that humankind is drastically changing ecosystems in an accelerated manner and taking personal steps to lesson the impact makes sense. I've bicycle commuted for years and currently planning to expand my two wheel travel plans.
There's no time like the present to put aside our personal " whats in it for me's" and go ahead and ride & walk more.
Bill
Thanks for the comment Bill. unfortunately, as the old saying goes, 'No good deed goes unpunished.'
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