Should Chicago Implement a Bike Tax? Lincoln Park Candidates Consider It

LINCOLN PARK — Should Chicago's bikes be taxed with an annual licensing fee similar to cars?

Both candidates in the 43rd Ward aldermanic race said they would consider such a measure during a debate ahead of April's runoff election.

The moderator of the debate last week, Kenneth Dotson, president of the Lincoln Central Association, asked "Do you support a requirement where bicycles be licensed?

Ald. Michele Smith (43rd) said licensing could be the answer to making biking safer in the city.

"Implementing safe bicycling is something we have toiled on in our ward with some success, but there is more that needs to be done," Smith said.

Smith's opponent, Caroline Vickrey, also said she thought licensing could be a good idea.

"I know people who have been hit by bikes in a sort of hit-and-run situation," Vickrey said. "I think it's a good idea as long as it would be a reasonable process.

"We don't want to add another layer of bureaucracy," she said.

This is not the first time the ideas of a bike tax has come up in the city.

In 2013 Ald. Pat Dowell (3rd) floated the idea of a $25 license fee on bikes.

"If we have to register our cars, bikes ought to be registered as well," Dowell said at the time.

The rest of the story:
http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20150323/lincoln-park/should-chicago...

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Thomas Bruzan on March 26, 2015 at 8:59am

I'm against it philosophically.

Permalink Reply by Joe Guzzardo on March 28, 2015 at 2:54am

I'm against philosophy. Ever try to read Immanuel Kant? The bible is my go to source for everything scientific and philosophical. I tried reading it once but gave up after the first couple paragraphs. I bought the Cliff notes version and the Bible for Dummies but couldn't get through those either. So mostly I just try to keep quiet and drink my beer. 

I wouldn't mind paying a bike tax if it improved safety or convenience for the bicycle community. I can just imagine getting pulled over by a cop and having my plates, city sticker, vehicle registration and liability insurance checked by the officer after I get caught rolling through a stop sign. "Now, I won't cite you this time, but you better get that noisy chain repaired soon, too."

Permalink Reply by Danny Cohen on March 26, 2015 at 11:08am

Another good piece about this: http://www.chicagomag.com/city-life/March-2015/Why-Bicycle-Licensin...

Details how this kind of thing is hard to enforce and almost always ends up costing more than it brings in. Either way, probably not gonna happen. 

Permalink Reply by Andy J on March 27, 2015 at 6:50am

I'm all for a bike tax - where's the list of what we'll get in return?

Lets start with one N-S and one E-W bicycle-only segregated thoroughfare that runs from one end of the city to the other.

Pick a street to cut in half and make it a one way for automobile traffic. Halsted? North? Cermak?

Put that one the table and I'll be the first one in line to pay.

Permalink Reply by Joe Guzzardo on March 28, 2015 at 3:04am

I was thinking about making certain selected one way side streets open to through traffic for bikes only. We already have permitted parking in certain areas of the city. Let's extend that idea to the use of the street itself. If you don't have a permit, not only can you not park here, you can't drive here either.

We can enforce the idea with cameras and maybe even transponders affixed to the car itself, someday. I can see that happening in the not too distant future when self driving cars become commercially available.

I live in an area that is popular among gang bangers, drug dealers and other unsavory types. Anything we can do to make areas unattractive to these types is a good thing. 

Permalink Reply by jim newark on March 28, 2015 at 2:47am

Many cities have a bike licensing ordinance. It helps recover stolen bikes. The serial number and make are kept on file. I am all for it Jimbo

Permalink Reply by Larry Nazimek on March 28, 2015 at 6:03am

Why should drivers of motorized vehicles keep paying the bills, while we bikers, who keep advocating for more bike lanes, pay nothing?  Drivers pay in numerous ways, from licenses, license plates/annual stickers, parking fees, towing/impoundment fines/fees, speed/red-light camera fines, gas taxes, etc. We should not ask for things, unless we are willing to pay for them.  Perhaps a $25 license fee is not the answer, but some type of payment would only be fair.

Permalink Reply by Joe Guzzardo on March 28, 2015 at 6:09am

When we see John Kass on a bicycle, that will be the turning point.

Permalink Reply by Danny Cohen on March 28, 2015 at 6:13am
If we're going to talk about that, we need to talk about why drivers pay those taxes. It's not just for the privelege of getting to use them, it's also to pay for repairs and infrastructure. Bicycles don't have nearly the same impact or damage on roads, and we don't get as much of the infrastructure geared toward us. I just don't see this working out unless there's a clear designation for the money to go towards building more bike lines, etc. That part never goes over so well with the general public.
Permalink Reply by Joe Guzzardo on March 28, 2015 at 6:18am

I guess it really comes down to the issue of  taxation without representation, in some respects. I wouldn't mind paying a reasonable fee if in return we got the infrastructure benefits you mentioned as well as a greater say in general urban planning and development.  

Permalink Reply by David Altenburg on March 28, 2015 at 9:22am

Your premise is false. "We bikers" pay plenty, in property taxes, sales taxes, and income taxes. Additionally, many of us own cars, so we pay city stickers and license registration fees on top of that. We don't get a refund for the time that our cars spend in our garages or parking spaces while we ride our bikes. And that's not even getting into the externalities caused by usage.

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