Los Angeles, meet the bicycle.
Of all the least-expected consequences of soaring fuel prices, this has to be
near the top of the list: swarms of cyclists are taking to the intimidating,
multi-lane thoroughfares of Los Angeles, some even defying the law and
whizzing between the stationary cars on the gridlocked freeways.
The result is a city of diehard motorists in need of some anger management.
Criminal charges have already been filed against one driver accused of
deliberately braking in front of two cyclists in the wealthy suburb of
Mandeville Canyon — home of the world's most famous Hummer-driving road hog,
Arnold Schwarzenegger. Both cyclists ended up in hospital.
Meanwhile, pedestrians are beginning to repeat the constant gripe of the
modern Londoner: traffic-dodging cyclists are hogging the “sidewalk” and
almost knocking them off their feet.
The city is so alarmed by this clash of car culture and pedal power that it
has enacted an emergency plan, which so far consists of a Cyclists' Bill of
Rights and a public “conversation” about how everyone can get along without
killing each other. More meaningful developments are also afoot: the city
has hired Alta Planning & Design, a planning consultancy, to revamp its
haphazard and under-maintained cycle lanes and come up with cyclist-friendly
initiatives.
Even in liberal LA, however, there is an element of political antipathy in
this showdown. Even if cyclists do not overtly consider themselves to be
combating everything from obesity to global warming when riding on two
wheels, motorists tend to perceive their every on-road manoeuvre as
holier-than-thou.
The Cyclists' Bill of Rights has done nothing to disabuse motorists of the
notion that all cyclists are condescending, Obama-cheering elitists. The
document states that cyclists are an “indicator species” of a healthy
community, and represent a solution to environmental destruction and
gridlock. One pro-cycling group, the Crimanimalz, organises frequent
law-defying rides to prove how much more efficient two-wheeled transport can
be.
Yet the problems of cycling in Los Angeles go deeper than just dealing with
touchy and credit-crunched SUV owners. The summer heat can be unbearable.
Then there are the poorly maintained surfaces, the wheel-buckling storm
grates and the debris that slides into the road after the occasional heavy
rainstorm.
Brad House, a member of the Los Angeles Bicycle Advisory Committee, speaking
at a meeting of the city's new bicycle task force, said: “We are the
illegitimate bastard child of the transportation industry.” Having
apparently never encountered a London taxi driver while on two wheels, he
added: “In Europe, motorists are very respectful of cyclists.”
The road tax argument is a red herring used by motorists to rationalize their hostility toward cyclists. Really, it's a culture clash. Two cultures, highly visible by their choice of vehicles, are competing for space on the same roads. Conflict is inevitable until an understanding is reached.
John, Oakland, CA, U.S.A.
Probably over half of the bicycle commuters do have cars, so they DO PAY TAXES, just like motorists. They just choose to commute by bicycle because it is morally responsible, cheaper, healthier, greener, etc. etc. etc. Motorists should cycle for a change (those that can) to make a difference.
Hagen, Portland, OR, USA
The city described above must exist in some alternative dimension, for I know LA well, and the article describes an unfamiliar place.
Like it or not, LA remains car-centered, with cycling left to hobbyists, the poor and unlicensed. To the average voter, bikes are a non-issue, whether pro or con.
Adrian, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Aren't roads paid for out of general
revenue, not just road tax? Cyclists DO pay already
Bikes can be cheap, are non-polluting and healthy. Extra tax will discourage their use.
There are at least as many idiot drivers as cyclists.
Cycling reduces fuel demand, so actually keeps it cheaper!
Mike, Sydney,
Again we see myth of a "road tax" that "only drivers" pay. In the US fuel tax pays for road MAINTENANCE, and Peters, though opposed to a Fed gas tax hike, just presented a $3.2B budget shortfall for roadway repair. This also comes from income tax, so in reality bikers overpay for car/truck damages.
Pete, Santa Clara, CA, USA
In Switzerland you pay £3 for a "velo vignette" which gives you third party insurance cover for accident and theft, failure to comply and being caught by the police results in a hefty fine. it doesnt deter thousands of people getting on their bikes and cycling to work/ pleasure.
Perkyp, Zurich, Switzerland
Cycling is by far the most efficient form of mobility ever invented. In Copenhagen around 35% of people commute by cycle, they're aiming for 50%. All this pointless argument, as shown in these comments, is purely an Anglo-Saxon phenomemon because we can't get our act together and act responsibly.
John Monro, Wellington, New Zealand.
So now that California is becoming part of the cycling world, we can start to see some innovative solutions. Of course the British could always look to Germany, the Netherlands and Scandinavia who also tend to come up with good solutions. Trouble is, they're so, you know, foreign.
Go California!
Paul M, Puerto, Spain
In the UK the roads are not funded by any mythical "road tax" but out of general taxation. Therefore anyone who pays income tax pays for roads and, logically, has a right to use them.
Dave, Manchester,
Taxing cycling is counterproductive b/c it benefits everyone. Less cars=less traffic. Driving 20MPH behind a cyclist is better than 5 MPH surrounded by exhaust pipes. Also, in LA we need to remove more of the steel that insolates us from other humans. Nothing’s more lonely than an LA traffic jam.
Charles, Santa Monica, USA
I pay more tax than the average person because my vehicle is considered commercial. I also cycle to work and social events daily. How is this? The truck sits in a private parking lot 90% of the time!
George Miller, Los Angeles, USA
Kate,
I've been to Cleveland many times.
You'll be shocked to know that
LA has more pedestrians than Cleveland ever had!
Alek, Hollywood, USA
Cars & Bicycles do not safely mix. Copy Germany's cycle lanes that thread through most of their cities.
Bucharest is completing a network of cycle lanes - a vital necessity given the way Romanians drive.
Richard, Bucharest,
no need to use roads in florida the pavements are that wide it's wonderful
john, Birmingham, west midlands
There are pedestrians in L.A.?
Kate, Cleveland, USA
I'm with Paul from Sydney - I'd pay a road tax to bike to work if it meant that I could go two days without nearly being killed by some idiot in a car who can't be bothered looking.
I rarely ride in an "incendiary" (Tim, USA) fashion but if I have to piss off a motorist to be seen, so be it.
Phil, Wellington, New Zealand
95% of adult cyclists do pay road tax - because they happen to be car owners as well! Just so happens that every now and again I choose to give others road tax payers more space by jumping on my bike. Oh, and I pay additional road tax on my motorcycle too.....
Brian Ham, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
I frequently encounter a similar amount of hostility cycling round the lanes of Worcestershire, usually in the shape of 4x4, or white van drivers. I put this down to jealousy.
As for road tax for cyclists, it's a totally unworkable idea, besides I, like most cyclists, also own a car and pay on that
Andrew Harler, Evesham, England
I am all for putting licence plates on bicycles. That used to be the case here till it was discontinued, when or why I have no idea. My grandmother had such a licence plate hanging from her cross-bar. Licence plates would identify idiot cyclists who ride recklessly .
Jack, Perth, Western Australia, Australla
Out of no-so-idle curiosity, Tim, what would be a fair road tax for users who weigh a small fraction of their motorist counterparts and take up far less space?
Michael, Pueblo, Colorado, US
I am a keen cyclist. I'd be happy to pay a road tax like everyone else. If I paid a road tax I'd make full use of the roads in my city - taking up entire lanes as I ride comfortably to work.
Paul, Sydney,
I believe that a 25 lb vehicle does considerably less damage to the roads than a car. Let's move on to the next (unfounded) complaint.
Mihai, Los Angeles,
Tim,
We can charge a percentage fee on the price of a bicycle, or even better, charge according to their CO2-emmissions as is the case in the UK. Next, we will charge pedestrians for entering sidewalks, perhaps under a pay-per-mile scheme.
Motorists should help pay for their negative externalities
Aksel, San Francisco, US
I'm all for cyclists on the roads AS LONG AS THEY BEGIN TO PAY ROAD TAXES LIKE MOTORISTS. This won't last for long where their incendiary driving ticks off motorists and they don't pay a DIME to drive on the road.
Tim, McCAll, USA