I’m beginning to take a disliking to Joe. This is the same line of thinking — “I’m paying for it so get off of my road!” — that I see from too many of the urban cowboys with their high-riding, never-leaves-the-pavement 4WD pick’em-up trucks and other so-called “off-road” vehicles…. and I, for one, am dambed sick and tired of it.
I see what Joe is saying, however like Bicycle Bill I get the same guff so I come down hard and point I am a tax payer as well. I do own a truck and a home. So guess what I pay taxes to those roads too. The costs of bike lanes are cheap when compared to car lanes. My wear and tear on the bike is far less. I obey the laws. And yes I do have a right to the road too. I also bought my truck to haul stuff to work on the house and the bike to out of town events. I did not buy the biggest one out there because that would be over kill and my manhood is just fine. 🙂
And just to add to the discussion — most of us are not completely car-free (Yehuda is definitely an outlier here). I pay just as much to register my 17-year-old minivan — which sits in the driveway for at least 50% of my commutes in the summer months — as the.soccer mom with the brand spankin’ new Jeep Cherokee full of kids that is on the go almost 24-7 …. and I don’t get any refund or rebate or reduction on my plates because I’m choosing to *NOT* use the car and contribute to the pollution, gridlock, and wear and tear on the roads (as well as get myself some healthful exercise).
The other thing to remember is that road construction and maintenance is not self-supporting through fuel taxes, vehicle registration fees, or so-called “wheel taxes”. A lot of highway projects are paid for in large part with FEDERAL tax monies, which are (for the most part) gathered through income taxes collected from EVERYONE.
So Yehuda does have a bit of a point here, and if a person would be able to climb down off his high horse in his F-150 he would be able to see that fair is fair and cyclists ARE, for the most part, paying *MORE* than their share of usage taxes and maintenance fees when compared to the ‘adverse effects’ they have on the infrastructure.
If only the so-called “conservatives” who moan about “entitlements” and federal overspending would really take a critical look at one of the biggest entitlements of all: the true costs of the federally subsidized Automobile Culture to society .
While insurance isn’t required, I’d like to have the OPTION to get it without having to own/operate a car. As it stands now, if a driver takes off after hitting me, I’m F****D financially if I survive. I’d love to take out PIP/UM/UIM insurance for myself so that I don’t have worry so much about being hounded to death by the debt collectors because I survived.
K’Tesh (Jaffa Kree?), my automobile insurance doesn’t cover my healthcare costs if someone hit’s me and takes off. It’s only liability against me hurting someone and them suing me (and collision, that will repair my vehicle). Wouldn’t what you want be just health insurance?
I’m beginning to take a disliking to Joe. This is the same line of thinking — “I’m paying for it so get off of my road!” — that I see from too many of the urban cowboys with their high-riding, never-leaves-the-pavement 4WD pick’em-up trucks and other so-called “off-road” vehicles…. and I, for one, am dambed sick and tired of it.
He just likes to take a contrary position to Yehuda, that’s all.
Netherlands.
Well said risb 🙂
Yeah, Joe. Sure he’s seeing what the car driver sees, but that’s a reality cyclists need to face.
I’m with Bicycle Bill on this one…
I see what Joe is saying, however like Bicycle Bill I get the same guff so I come down hard and point I am a tax payer as well. I do own a truck and a home. So guess what I pay taxes to those roads too. The costs of bike lanes are cheap when compared to car lanes. My wear and tear on the bike is far less. I obey the laws. And yes I do have a right to the road too. I also bought my truck to haul stuff to work on the house and the bike to out of town events. I did not buy the biggest one out there because that would be over kill and my manhood is just fine. 🙂
And just to add to the discussion — most of us are not completely car-free (Yehuda is definitely an outlier here). I pay just as much to register my 17-year-old minivan — which sits in the driveway for at least 50% of my commutes in the summer months — as the.soccer mom with the brand spankin’ new Jeep Cherokee full of kids that is on the go almost 24-7 …. and I don’t get any refund or rebate or reduction on my plates because I’m choosing to *NOT* use the car and contribute to the pollution, gridlock, and wear and tear on the roads (as well as get myself some healthful exercise).
The other thing to remember is that road construction and maintenance is not self-supporting through fuel taxes, vehicle registration fees, or so-called “wheel taxes”. A lot of highway projects are paid for in large part with FEDERAL tax monies, which are (for the most part) gathered through income taxes collected from EVERYONE.
So Yehuda does have a bit of a point here, and if a person would be able to climb down off his high horse in his F-150 he would be able to see that fair is fair and cyclists ARE, for the most part, paying *MORE* than their share of usage taxes and maintenance fees when compared to the ‘adverse effects’ they have on the infrastructure.
I have smaller needs and drive a Honda Fit, my manhood must be great to drive a car like that. 😉
If only the so-called “conservatives” who moan about “entitlements” and federal overspending would really take a critical look at one of the biggest entitlements of all: the true costs of the federally subsidized Automobile Culture to society .
That is ‘THE’ real question about this car-centric society… and that is global, unfortunately, even with countries that have more expensive fuel.
Just give me the IRS mile deductions.
Everybody talks about men’s manhood. What about ll those women driving their own SUV? After all, today is women’s day.
While insurance isn’t required, I’d like to have the OPTION to get it without having to own/operate a car. As it stands now, if a driver takes off after hitting me, I’m F****D financially if I survive. I’d love to take out PIP/UM/UIM insurance for myself so that I don’t have worry so much about being hounded to death by the debt collectors because I survived.
K’Tesh (Jaffa Kree?), my automobile insurance doesn’t cover my healthcare costs if someone hit’s me and takes off. It’s only liability against me hurting someone and them suing me (and collision, that will repair my vehicle). Wouldn’t what you want be just health insurance?