EFFin’ Unsound

In Sunday’s Seattle Times, Jim Vesley reminds us that while Lou Guzzo may no longer be employed by one of the daily papers, they have no shortage of cranky old guys.

Local government finances are so dire, it is time to consider — and enact — an annual fee on bicyclists.

Hey parents of 3rd graders? Jim Vesley, whose industry gets an exemption from the state sales tax, wants to impose a $50 fee per year if you want to go riding a bike with your kid. $75 if you want to take both parents. More if there are more kids. Awesome.

A $25 annual fee for owning a bike is a natural outgrowth of the enormous amounts of trails, lanes and accommodations the region has made to cyclists. Those funds would be useful for local cities and King County. It would also make cyclists true members of the world of transportation, rather than free riders on the tax rolls.

Unlike when purchasing newspapers, bikers actually already paid a sales tax when we purchase our goods. I’m sure this doesn’t pay for the entirety of the bike system, but then again the gas tax doesn’t pay for the entirety of the highway system.

Special licenses are not new. We license dogs, our cars, our boats, our motorcycles, our pleasures in hunting and fishing, as well as many other outdoor activities. Cyclists, known for their community spirit and exalted senses of self, should welcome this opportunity to help government support their activities.

It varies depending on what you’re getting licensed to do, but fishing licenses and many hunting licenses are less than the Vesley, hey-you-damn-kids-why-don’t-you-grow-up-and-get-a-car-fee.

A simple exploration of current and future bike trails shows a remarkable generosity on the part of Puget Sound taxpayers. Whenever new transportation projects are studied, bike lanes are as automatic as white striping.

Why, bike paths are so common that nobody has ever felt pushed aside on any busy city street anywhere in King County.

In 2012, for example, cyclists and pedestrians will have trails 14-feet wide in SoDo near the stadiums. Any Highway 520 floating bridge schematic includes a lane for cyclists. How about if they help pay their share? If Interstate 90 and Highway 520 bridges are tolled, it’s only logical to expect cyclists to pay a modest toll, too, for access to a great path across the water and spectacular views.

So, the most current example of every project includes a bike path is a project that won’t open for 3-4 years. And while I’m at it, if I’m going to share the path with pedestrians, how about a foot tax? Or at least a shoe tax?

Seriously, it goes on like this for ever. The main reason you wouldn’t want a bike tax is that it would discourage good behavior. We want people in the Seattle area to get out of their cars and if possible commute by bike. We want them to commute in a way that doesn’t polute as much. I know that’s not an option for some people, and that the city has a lot of hills and rainy days, but why throw in an additional fee as well? Anyway, he concludes the column thusly:

Will any of this happen? No, because from my perch, I don’t know of a single, elected public official with the guts to propose a bike tax.

Hear that Larry Phillips? You use your guts to digest food, not to make shitty public policy! Tom Rasmussen, you may be as gay as a tree full of kittens, but that doesn’t mean you’ve got the guts to impose a fee on a more ecological -not to mention healthier - means of transportation than cars.

This entry was posted on Sunday, December 7th, 2008 at 10:45 pm and is filed under Carl. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.