Warning!

[Matthew_T]

So they expect cyclists to be well off? The majority of cyclists actually fall under the stereotype that cyclists are poor. Cycling is a cheap mode of transport, if licensing and taxes are introduced, cycling will become less popular. Do we really want that for this country? Especially with how over congested it is. It will just force people back into cars because of the pointlessness of actually paying stupid amounts for cycling.

And how would taxing work? If it was a fixed price then it would be expensive for BSO riders and cheap for people with carbon bikes. And the same for Licensing, what would be licensed? The bike or the person? Where would license plates go? ANPR cameras would have to be changed to read much smaller numberplates with possibly different characters on them.

Time and time again these same old comments about cyclists needing to pay taxes and have their bikes licensed keep cropping up. Do people not understand that this will not make the roads safer?
"But it will stop the amount of cyclists going through red lights". Does licensing of vehicles stop drivers going through red lights? NO. Do you really think charging cyclists would make any difference?

And what about the costs associated with taxing or licensing bikes? It if just not feasible.


In terms of the 'road tax' comment. Ebay isnt doing anyone any favours. They still list VED on the listing as Road Tax. Get it changed FFS!

 

[Black Country Ste]

Those calling for taxing and licensing of cyclists are silly and small-minded with no grasp of the consequences. A bit like Kate Hoey.

 

[Mile195]

I'd actually really like them to introduce it. Just for a little while. lets say just 50% of people in the UK have at least one bike kicking around. that's 35'000'000 bikes to register. You couldn't charge more than a couple of quid a year based on how much damage bicycles do to the road.

Naturally to set up a DVLA size department to register 35 milllion bikes, and take just £2 each to cover the massive set up costs and administration, let alone enforcement, it would fall flat on its face before it even began. But attempting it would mean nobody would be able to whinge any more about how cyclists should be registered from now until forever, which would actually be rather nice.

TBH they'd make far more money by taxing Kate Garraway and her ilk for wasting time on publicly funded radio with diatribes based on nothing but poorly informed personal opinion.

Well, that's what I think anyways!..

 

[ufkacbln]

Dirt tax for MTBs then.

On wet days would this become a liquid asset?

 

[DRHysted]

At the end of the day I am already licensed for both 4 and 2 wheels, I have insurance for all my vehicles both mechanically powered and leg powered, and I pay VED.

So what is it she's asking for, that (mostly) isn't already in place.

 

[Gixxerman]

If it is this Kate Garraway, then she doesn't pay road tax either.
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/showbiz/news/a77988/garraways-car-crushed-over-road-tax.html

Maybe she could have cycled a bit, she might have remained fitter and not got tendonitis. Just a thought.

 

[Leodis]

What pisses me off this week is the self blaming cyclists who dress up like a tit in HiViz and then blame other cyclists who refuse to look like said tit.

 

[Davidsw8]

WARNING!
There is a woman on BBC Radio London called Kate Garraway, who this morning was calling for cyclist to be licensed and or pay some kind of road tax!
It appears that there is a push on to cash in on cyclists and to take away yet another of our basic freedoms. Everyone is responsible for their own actions and charging us all will not prevent cars or lorries hitting us. These people have had their privileges while growing up and want to bang the door shut on future generations. The people who are pushing for these measures appear to think everyone is as well off as they are and therefore must presume that we can all afford these charges. If some of us were that well off maybe we could afford the over inflated cost of getting a driving license and would not be riding a bike in the first place.
When the people who make these comments are too afraid to confront other more important issues they look for other people to pick their petty arguments with, making bigoted comments like 'they all jump red lights' . If it is their mindset to generalise about cyclists and tar them with the same brush ,surely they must adopt the same way of thinking about other sections of society, the same thought process behind being sexist or racist.
Watch out cyclists! there is something other than a lorry coming our way and it will mean an end to what little freedom we have left.

Kate Garraway is just an old right-wing Sky TV, Daily Mail journo in the same vein as Richard Littlejohn or ex-presenter/now MP Esther McVey. Publicity hungry and scare mongering, they don't care about people, they just focus on always being right and jumping on the latest bandwagon with their moral indignation.

Sorry, but people like this really get my goat.

And to answer the OP, they DO generalise about other sections of society like this, it's usually immigrants and gay people, cyclists are just the pick of the day.

 

[RichK]

If it is this Kate Garraway, then she doesn't pay road tax either.
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/showbiz/news/a77988/garraways-car-crushed-over-road-tax.html

Maybe she could have cycled a bit, she might have remained fitter and not got tendonitis. Just a thought.

I think you may have found the real cause of her whining

 

[Twelve Spokes]

Lot of people at work who don't cycle think the same about this poorly thought out argument.

"She understands she was negligent, but it’s due to everything that’s going on."

Awwww,what a tough life she leads.

 

[e-rider]

WARNING!
There is a woman on BBC Radio London called Kate Garraway, who this morning was calling for cyclist to be licensed and or pay some kind of road tax!
It appears that there is a push on to cash in on cyclists and to take away yet another of our basic freedoms. Everyone is responsible for their own actions and charging us all will not prevent cars or lorries hitting us. These people have had their privileges while growing up and want to bang the door shut on future generations. The people who are pushing for these measures appear to think everyone is as well off as they are and therefore must presume that we can all afford these charges. If some of us were that well off maybe we could afford the over inflated cost of getting a driving license and would not be riding a bike in the first place.
When the people who make these comments are too afraid to confront other more important issues they look for other people to pick their petty arguments with, making bigoted comments like 'they all jump red lights' . If it is their mindset to generalise about cyclists and tar them with the same brush ,surely they must adopt the same way of thinking about other sections of society, the same thought process behind being sexist or racist.
Watch out cyclists! there is something other than a lorry coming our way and it will mean an end to what little freedom we have left.

anyone who has a job and pays income tax is already paying for the roads - this just shows how stupid this woman is!

 

[Andy_R]

anyone who has a job and pays income tax is already paying for the roads - this just shows how stupid this woman is!

and council tax, and VAT, and insurance tax, and airport tax, and tax tax tax tax tax.........

 

[fossyant]

I wouldn't bother with this thread folks. The OP made one post and has now gone.

 

[ShipHill]

What ****es me off this week is the self blaming cyclists who dress up like a tit in HiViz and then blame other cyclists who refuse to look like said tit.

self blaming?

 

[PedalCat]

Crushing the car for non-payment of VED seems idiotic to me. Am i wrong?