Finally, a good law proposed that we all should support.

Oregon Representatives have proposed House Bill 3008 which should help defray the cost of lost revenues and help maintain roadways throughout Portland.

Not all Portlanders are pleased though, as what some call a majority in the city will be responsbile for the $54 payment every two years. Those opposed argue that HB 3008 is just a way for police to keep tabs on them and they should not have to pay to traverse throughout Portland.

Story here

Pdf of bill here

This bicycling “majority” has no problem calling for and seeing others paying increased fees, taxes and what have you, but when it comes their turn, they balk.

Hey cyclists, where’s your “bi-partisan” spirit? Where’s your pride in maintaining Portland beautiful and accessible? You want not only “equal access” to the roads, you want sole access in Portland, but don’t think you should share in the cost?

Tsk, tsk, tsk.

Tell ’em where you saw it. Http://www.victoriataft.com

16 Responses

  1. Why stop with bicyclists?

    Why not a pedestrian tax too? Pedestrians walk on roads and a significant amount of road maintenance is devoted to expensive and unneeded crosswalks, walk signals, etc.

  2. Why stop there norm . Why don’t we tax breathing after all don’ we exhale greenhouse gasses !!!!!!

  3. I agree with Norm. I also think HB3008 is a great idea. See unlike you Republicans over here, I believe in taking care of my state. Taxes and fees are a part of that.

    I just wonder how many of those that live in Washington that come down here and drive on Oregon roads are abusing the privledge. I think there should be a toll on bridges coming into Oregon.

  4. For once, Un_Abel is making sense. The biker riders need to pay something toward the upkeep of their “Mandated” privilege of using the roads built primarily for motor vehicle traffic.

    Question, though: The jerk riding his bike with two kids front and back and no one with a helmet needs to be ticketed, if not for riding without helmets one everyone, but at least for terminal stupidity.

  5. Scottie, I have bee nsaying for some time now that bicyclists need taxed and to pay fees for their vehicle use. I thinnk too that their bikes should have to pass a safety inspection, to make sure they are properly maintained. Somewhat like DOE and DEQ.

    They don’t give off emmissions, depending on the riders diet, but a minimal safety check ought to be performed by state certified inspectors.

    Charge them $15 or $20 for heinspection, just like the rest of us.

    And yes, I too have to agree with abel, this time. He is right, for once (no pun intended, abel).

    But the point is how many regular bicyclists seem to think they should not pay anything to pay for their use and even don’t have to follow standard traffic safety laws.

    I hope it passes and is made even stronger.

  6. If I pay this exorbitant licensing fee (the same fee to travel about 100-1000 miles a year causing negligible wear and tear as a another form of transportation that goes 10-20,000 miles a year causing severe wear and tear), will you all stop running me into the ditch, blaming the cyclist every time there is an accident, and ask law enforcement to arrest unlicensed, woefully negligent road users who cause the death of law abiding road users.

  7. Horrible idea.

    An undue burden on a healthy activity, meanwhile encouraging sloth and gas guzzling.

    Brilliant.

  8. I’ll make a deal with you, jdfriberg, you stop blowing through red lights in front of me and I’ll stop running you into a ditch, okay?

    As far as this tax/fee goes, when did it stop being patriotic for all to pay whatever taxes or fees levied?

    After all, wasn’t it your vice-president that said it was?

    I still find it quite amusing to see those who loved seeing others taxes fees raised, whine like babies when theirs is too.

  9. Lew-
    I do not run red lights, blow through stop signs, or ride against traffic. I ride as far to the right as is practicable, never ride more than 2 abreast, unless part of an event that has paid ODOT or WADOT fees. I signal my turns, have proper lighting at night. Why was I run into the ditch again?

    (Were the rest of your questions directed at me? I didn’t really understand them.

  10. jdfriberg, I don’t run bicyclists off into ditches either. I try to be courteous and look out for them and share the road.

    Still, I get flipped off, spit at and you name it by driving past them as they swerve out of the bike path into traffic.

    I’ve had them run red lights in front of me and get flipped off for slamming on my brakes, scaring them.

    Tonight, driving home from work, I went to turn left onto my street and there were two going through the intersection, riding on the wrong side of the road, pedaling into traffic, both wearing all black (this was after dark).

    I just barely saw them in time.

    So, when you say, “will you all stop running me into the ditch, blaming the cyclist every time there is an accident,” just who is “ALL?”

    You say we want to blame the cyclist everytime, but from what close calls I’ve had, it would have clearly be their fault.

    As a kid we were taught to look out for the cars as they might not see us. Today, so many seem to have the notion we must look out for them as if they are impervious to harm.

    Don’t go putting everything off on drivers like you did. Many of us do look out for bicycles and in return, get looked down upon by cyclists who seem to think the road is theirs, but want us to pay all the taxes and maintenance fees and they pay nothing.

    By the way, my wife and I also own bicycles and ride them on occassion. If we need to register them, so be it.

    After all, motorcycles have to be registered too.

  11. I think maybe Portland should become a model city for privatized roads.
    Sell the roads, and let some company operate them for profit.
    The owners can then determine how much to charge, based on their cost model.

  12. Better yet, lets privatize mass transit so they can charge what is needed to make a profit , and than see just how much it really cost per person to ride it!!!!!!!!

  13. The bike riders need to stop their caterwauling about the proposed $54.00 licensing fee FOR TWO YEARS ($27.00 per year, less than 50 cents a week) to help pay their way for using the streets made primarily for motor vehicles. But they think nothing of spending anywhere from $200.00 up to $1000.00 and more, in some cases, for their damned bikes. If they can afford that kind of money for a bike, they can damn sure afford $27.00 a year for the license.

    That is a bit like the people driving motor homes worth several hundred thousand dollars and pulling a Mercedes in back on the ground rather than on a $2000.00 trailer. And before you nay-sayers start your scoffing, I’ve seen it in my travels as a professional trucker.

    I noticed, too, that no one really had anything to say about the jerk on his bike with two kids, all without helmets.

  14. For the record. both of the pictures posted in this discussion are taken in Denmark. The streets there are primarily cycling streets, cars are secondary. Almost no one wears a helmet there because of the low accident rate. In Oregon it is illegal for children under the age of sixteen to be in a trailer or on a bike without a helmet, and I agree, the parents should be cited if they aren’t properly taking care to protect their kids. As far as sharing the cost goes, how much, as a percentage, wear and tear do bicycles cause to our roadways? Can we use that as a model for cost to register? Even if bikes caused he same amount of damage per mile the average bike probably travels 500-1000 miles per year. The average car is closer to 10,000-15,000 miles. Plus what percentage of the registration fee is going to go into the bureaucracy of enforcement and compliance. My wife and I are cyclists. We also own two cars, so aren’t we already paying taxes on road upkeep? If we are riding instead of driving, causing less wear and tear on the streets, shouldn’t we get a rebate on our auto registration fees? I am more than willing to share the load, but it at the very least needs to be an honest assessment of cost.

  15. Let’s keep this fair and base the taxes on milage. If I ride 1,000 miles per year on my bike, and the State wants to charge me $27 per year (per bike), then how about cars that drive 10,000 miles per year pay $270. Actually, I bet most cars do closer to 20,000 miles per year, so that would be $540 per year (per car!).

    Here’s my most important point, though. STOP SAYING that most bike riders don’t pay for the roadway. Owning a house and owning a car (and buying gas for that car) means that I have been paying for the roads. And for the trip that I decide to use my bike rather than my car, the state should be paying me because I’m causing zero damage to the road using my bike AND and not creating addition demand, allowing others that need the road to get there without as much traffic!