So what do we think?

[glrnet]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-23694438

[The Chubby Ninja]

Just start taxing the cyclists. Maybe bring our tax down a bit . Seriously though i didnt realise that it wasnt road tax as such but more a pollution tax. You learn something new every day

[ddcboyle]

I get that its about having a car and emissions, but the money should go towards fixing roads and cyclists should pay the mininum tax if theres no emissions which should be 10pound

[Bems]

Yeah that's why our roads are in such a state. Bring back road tax I say

[Keyser]

They Tax everything!!

 

who cares what it's called?

[choptop]

Road tax is just a general taxation. Has been many years since it was used for repairing the roads. What gets me is the road tax on my zed is near the same amount as a double decker bus! Beggars belief but there you go. Just rip-off Britain If they start taxing bicycles, which I think is a good idea by the way as they will have to have a number plate and will have to stop at traffic lights etc etc, where will it end? Pedestrians having to pay a pavement tax? People with larger feet pay more tax? Who knows................................

[stuarty]

Government must think that their God, charging a pollution charge. Not as if they spend any of the money on "cleaning the air"!

Technically our pollution charge should be sent to north east Africa as its them who suffer the consequences of our CO output!

[Ekona]

I don't mind cyclists not paying VED/emissions tax/road tax/whatever you want to call it. They do pretty much nothing in terms of damage to the roads anyway, and clearly no environmental impact aside from sweaty people in offices at 9am.

 

What I do object to is that they don't have to have insurance. That seems wrong to me, when every other road user without exception (I think) has to have this by law. I don't think it needs to be hundreds of pounds, but there should be something.

[WhackyWill]

[coldel]

I don't mind cyclists not paying VED/emissions tax/road tax/whatever you want to call it. They do pretty much nothing in terms of damage to the roads anyway, and clearly no environmental impact aside from sweaty people in offices at 9am.

 

What I do object to is that they don't have to have insurance. That seems wrong to me, when every other road user without exception (I think) has to have this by law. I don't think it needs to be hundreds of pounds, but there should be something.

 

Absolutely that, they can clatter into cars and do untold damage to paintwork and there is nothing you can do about it apart from trying to recover the money privately, if they havent cycled off up the pavement somewhere before you get their details...

[glrnet]

I don't mind cyclists not paying VED/emissions tax/road tax/whatever you want to call it. They do pretty much nothing in terms of damage to the roads anyway, and clearly no environmental impact aside from sweaty people in offices at 9am.

 

What I do object to is that they don't have to have insurance. That seems wrong to me, when every other road user without exception (I think) has to have this by law. I don't think it needs to be hundreds of pounds, but there should be something.

 

Absolutely that, they can clatter into cars and do untold damage to paintwork and there is nothing you can do about it apart from trying to recover the money privately, if they havent cycled off up the pavement somewhere before you get their details...

+1 That's always been my issue too.

[Bems]

Think it would be hard to justify taxing a cyclist when there are cars out that that have no VED charge due to their emissions!

 

I agree on the insurance tho

[AliveBoy]

My parents live in the channel isles and they have a road tax for bicycles. Each bike has a little sticker on the top of the frame with a unique number on it, they are luminous colours so they can be seen a long way off and each year the sticker changes colour.

 

Every year the (yes, THE) police officer wanders round the island and decides which roads (that word is used very lightly) need the money collected spent on them for repairs.

[coldel]

Some form of identity would also help with the high levels of bike theft as well.

 

The whole emissions based taxation is bloody nonsense anyway. I am likely to do about a quarter of the yearly mileage in my VX compared to some diesel guzzling mile muncher who commutes in their car everyday. Either Tax cars flat as it was before or don't bother at all. Using emissions as a smoke screen (scuse the pun) for just a nonsensical reason to claim more tax for nothing is pathetic.

[Ekona]

Blame the general public for that one. Anyone with half a brain can work out that a car that emits 100 carbons per mile and does 10k miles a year is more polluting than a car that emits 200 carbons but does 3k a year, but that's not good enough for the masses.

 

They want to see anyone with anything better than they've got punished, despite the fact that we're already getting punished when we fill up (not a complaint, it's our choice and we know this) as our cars use more fuel to go faster. These masses wouldn't stand for a fairer system, and any government who tried it would find themselves out on their ears very quickly: Just witness how unpopular the coalition is, despite the fact that the opposition contributed massively towards the current mess and would have had to do pretty much the same things themselves had they won the last election.

 

 

People are idiots, and short-sighted idiots at that. Anyway, rant over, off you go folks.

[AliveBoy]

In guernsey, your "road tax" is incorporated into the cost of fuel (which is still cheaper than over here by the way!) so that, the more you drive/the less economical your car is the more road tax you pay. I think it's great and most of the roads over there are in a good condition too!

[Suits]

If you live/work/drive in London then I'm sure, either way, you'll have a string opinion on cyclists.

 

:teeth: :teeth: :teeth:

[elfman]

I don't mind cyclists tbh, but i agree' they should have insurance. My big bug bare is the fact that they don't abide by the rules of the road, red light means STOP!!! not keep going and nearly cause an accident.

[WhackyWill]

If you live/work/drive in London then I'm sure, either way, you'll have a string opinion on cyclists.

 

:teeth: :teeth: :teeth:

 

Oh Yes...!!! Just be on a 12 mile trip around Town this morning (and today not bad as no school run).

 

Bikes get to the front of the traffic lights and if they don't jump

 

them they sit in front of you and wobble away at 2 MPH.. :rant:

[JetSet]

Simplest way would be add it on to household insurance.

 

 

Pete

[Ekona]

How so? Not everyone who owns a house cycles.

[AliveBoy]

How so? Not everyone who owns a house cycles.

 

And not everyone who cycles owns a house!

[Ekona]

Zackerly.

[The Bounty Bar Kid]

Red light jumping or cycling two abreast I hate. I did a cycling proficiency test when I was younger. Maybe all should be made to do so. We have to take a theory test to learn the rules of the road, why don't they? Would make them better cyclists and maybe ease anger between both parties.

[rtbiscuit]

I don't mind cyclists. Can't see the point in taxing them, government is trying to encourage more cycling, so why would they do anything to put people off it? As for insurance cyclists are classed as pedestrians so don't fall under the same requirements.