Really? Bike Lanes?
The majority of those who use the roads do so by using motor vehicles. They pay for those roads to by means of vehicle sales tax, tolls, excise tax, gas tax, registration fees, title fees and sales tax on vehicle maintenance. How is taking a portion such a vital infrastructure piece and giving to a fraction of the population who actually use bikes a democratic and fair use of taxpayer dollars? It’s not to say those who use bikes don’t deserve a safe place to ride but, lets be fully honest here, bike lanes have done nothing. They are a bandage on infrastructure that is already bursting at the seems because our government turned a blind eye as it systematically overpopulated the area for the sake of new revenue.
Have we really lost the ability to be honest about our transportation challenges? Your Cannondale isn’t a Chevy no matter how you pitch it. Yet, we just keep up this smoke and mirrors show and give the farm away to those who pout the most on social media or within public forums. At the end of the day, as a cyclist, you have as much skin in the game as a pedestrian when it comes to infrastructure. Fight with them for some sidewalk space or share a lane with us motorcyclists…..we need a safe place too. 😁
Fully agree that throwing some paint on the road doesn’t do much but motor vehicles don’t pay for the roads. Roads are subsidized in every state, here in Mass only 56% of the cost is paid for by all those tolls, fees and taxes. The rest is paid by everyone else, including people without cars. And people on bikes and walking don’t do anywhere close to as much damage to the roads as motor vehicles!
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-07-20/mapping-how-u-s-states-pay-for-roads
As for “Have we really lost the ability to be honest about our transportation challenges?” yes! Bikes are fast. Most of the time I’m biking down Dot Ave on my single speed bike I’m the fastest vehicle on the road! Most places within Boston it might be 10-20 minutes slower biking, in theory, but with how much traffic there is everywhere constantly biking is often faster!
Quick question on your bicycle, do you pay inspection fees, title fees, registration fees, gas tax, license fees, tolls, excise tax, insurance oh…….and sales tax both on the bicycle and it’s repairs within the same ballpark as the amount spent on motor vehicle? See I can’t touch the roadway with my vehicle legally until that’s all squared away…..yet some bicyclists get to hijack a portion of the roadway and the only skin in the game is a biased Bloomberg report? I can’t see anything equitable or even democratic about this phenomenon especially with such a small percentage of the population using bikes for commuting here in the Northeast. Perhaps it’s our terrible weather the majority of the year…..maybe the bulk of of us are just lazy. It’s not to say you as a cyclist shouldn’t be safe but I don’t think you should perceive that a cyclist is somehow on a level playing field in terms of infrastructure investment. I can’t see it at all….