Tax bicyclists to pay for road upgrades

Sun June 29 2008
Posted Jun 29, 2008
8,138

Des Moines Register Opinion During a recent Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa, one rider was fatally injured. His heirs got a judgment against the county for $350,000, or more than $20 for each man, woman and child in the county. There have been proposals to require bicycle groups to provide liability insurance, including each county as a named insured. The Register opposes this ("Drop Idea to Require Bike-Ride Insurance," June 20 editorial). It wants to force counties to upgrade the roads to bicycle standards using road-use tax funds. These funds are collected from owners/operators of motor vehicles. No fees are collected from bicyclists or bicycle owners. It would be fair to impose a tax on bicycles dedicated to upgrading roads. This is not a new concept. Certain sporting goods have long had a tax dedicated to various outdoor recreation facilities. Alternatively, require riders to purchase liability insurance naming the county/state/municipality. Equipment owners at the Iowa State Fair have long had to provide liability insurance. I ride a bike and drive a vehicle. Driving the vehicle should not require subsidizing the bike riding. - L. L. Snyder, Pleasant Hill Feel liking commenting on this one??? click here