Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by S on January 1, 2014 at 8:29am

Gas taxes haven't gone up at all in a very long time, if the tax were increased and linked to inflation, that'd go a long way to helping things out in regards to funding road infrastructure.  I think the vehicle licensing fees wouldn't happen on a federal level but a sales/car tax linked to weight might be possible although unlikely.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Skip Montanaro 0mi on January 1, 2014 at 8:54am

Just another way cagers continue to be subsidized for their bad habits.

S said:

Gas taxes haven't gone up at all in a very long time...

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Tom Dworzanski on January 1, 2014 at 9:17am

Does the Active Transportation Alliance support any of these ideas? Or are they being quoted out of context?

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Skip Montanaro 0mi on January 1, 2014 at 9:33am

My guess is it's just guilt by association. I think we'd have heard about it here already if the ATA was in favor of taxing bikes.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Larry Mysz on January 1, 2014 at 1:26pm

ActiveTrans is firmly opposed to taxing bicycles.  See the  11/04/2013 blog post by Jim Merrill: 

http://activetrans.org/blog/jmerrell/petition-keep-biking-free-oppo...

Petition: keep biking free — say "no" to bike registration fee

We want more people riding bikes in Chicago, not fewer.

Requiring Chicagoans who ride bikes to pay an annual fee, as recently proposed by a member of the city council, would result in fewer people taking advantage of a healthy, green and cheap transportation option.

That's why we are asking you to sign our petition opposing bike registration fees in Chicago.

Our city faces many challenges, including a gaping hole in our budget. When it comes to saving money, though, cycling is a part of the solution, not the problem.

Cycling’s benefits include lowering road maintenance costs, reducing air pollution and traffic congestion, combatting obesity and enhancing public health, and increasing Chicago’s livability and its desirability to employers.

Furthermore, a city-wide program to require people who ride bikes to pay a registration fee would be impractical and likely cost more to administer than it would generate in revenue.

After a year of great progress in our efforts to make Chicago the most bike-friendly city in the U.S., now is not the time for us to turn back.

Please stand with us in opposing the bike registration fee proposal by signing our petition and sharing it with your friends and family.

Tom Dworzanski said:

Does the Active Transportation Alliance support any of these ideas? Or are they being quoted out of context?

• ▶ Reply