Facebook comment causes me to evaluate my position
This morning I read a comment about something I’d posted on Facebook. The post was regarding Ride the Drive and the comment came from a respected, intelligent, good friend.
The Comment
With all the bike paths in the city funded by road taxes and you want our roads. Start paying bike taxes to use our roads. Just my opinion.
The Response
There are taxes and fees that cyclists do pay to help offset the costs of bike paths and trails.
The DNR sells a trail pass to allow you access to the state trails they maintain.
The City of Madison requires you to register your bike to offset the cost of bike infrastructure and tracking them should they be stolen.
As far as Ride the Drive, the city views this as a promotional tool with several facets. There is a traffic and pollution reduction angle. They also use this as an opportunity to promote mass transportation, outdoor life and quality of life living in Madison. Might not seem like much, but when companies are developing and/or relocating these are things that come into play. My thought, make sure the event is sponsored to offset any costs to the city (setup, cleanup, police to block roads, etc)
I’m not saying you’re wrong. As a cyclist I have no trouble paying my fair share. However, as a tax payer in the city and state I’m not sure that my tax dollars aren’t funding bike paths. Is there a difference? Does this mean that people who use sidewalks should pay a separate fee? In my mind this is more like a dog park and dog owners pay to use the dog parks (at least I think they do) so in that respect, I believe you’re right.
Keep in mind that in addition to paying taxes as a home owner, I’m also a vehicle owner. I pay to register my vehicle as well as purchase gas to drive on the roads. Isn’t paying additional funds to drive on the road kind of like paying a toll? And if that’s the case, shouldn’t the city clean the bike lanes so all the debris doesn’t give me a flat?
Finally, I’m NOT in favor of cyclists driving all over the streets of Madison or anywhere else. I’m not an equal rights kind of guy. I’m pro life and in this case, I mean my own life. It angers me to see people riding their bikes on Willy Street when there is a bike path a block away. Yes, it is their right, but there is also a safety issue here. For me, I choose not to exercise my right to ride in the street in favor of my right to be safe. I believe this was a point I made rather drunkenly in a 2shots1beer.com podcast:
Final Thoughts
So, after all of this… I don’t really know how I feel about the issue. I register my bike and pay for a trail pass so I guess I’ll let my actions speak for themselves.
And thanks for getting my brain moving this morning. I was in a bit of a funk after biking in. : )
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