Why shouldn't cyclists pay road tax?

[Electric_Andy]

I would go one step further. Ban parking on a road unkess in a marked parking bay. Roads are for travel, not as a means for free storage for any item.

That would disadvantage a lot of people. Loads of properties near me do not have a front driveway or garage, and no rear access either (apart from perhaps enough to get a wheely bin out into a small access alleyway). You're essentially saying "if you can't afford a house with a garage or driveway then you can't have a car". People have to have alternatives; and these are often utterly useless. Buses are often late or cancelled or take an age to get anywhere, or don't stop becasue they are full, or they simply do not go where you want to go so you have to change 17 times. Walking can take too long if you need to go far for work/school or shopping. And how do you do big shops with no car?

 

[mustang1]

I've long maintained that road vehicles should be taxed on the number of miles they do a year.
Advantages -
Heavier vehicles wear roads out faster.
The more miles they do, more emissions and also ref. point above.
May have encouraged a move towards lighter vehicles and encourage folk to drive fewer miles.
Hey ho - !

I thought that was what the tax on petrol was: the more miles you do, the less efficient your car is (overly powerful, top heavy etc), the more tax you're paying in fuel.

Problem is everyone has become accustomed to pay high fuel prices so new tax schemes must be invented.

 

[Drago]

That would disadvantage a lot of people. Loads of properties near me do not have a front driveway or garage, and no rear access either (apart from perhaps enough to get a wheely bin out into a small access alleyway). You're essentially saying "if you can't afford a house with a garage or driveway then you can't have a car". People have to have alternatives; and these are often utterly useless. Buses are often late or cancelled or take an age to get anywhere, or don't stop becasue they are full, or they simply do not go where you want to go so you have to change 17 times. Walking can take too long if you need to go far for work/school or shopping. And how do you do big shops with no car?

My heart bleeds. Not.

Their problems are just that- theirs - and should not be inflicted upon the rest of us.

I didn't buy my sofa, TV, freezer or shotgun until I had somewhere to store them. Why do car drivers think they're a special case and can store their property on a public highway?

 

[Dogtrousers]

Near where I live there is a lot of officially sanctioned pavement parking. White lines painted on the pavement outlining where you can/ should park. The majority of parked cars go beyond the lines and take up some of what's left, too. Because they can.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

how do you do big shops with no car?

A cargo bike

 

[Drago]

Mine gets delivered. One van doing 20 deliveries is a lot less harmful than 20 cars each having a go at danger and pollution (cue someone moaning about how they can't choose their cucumbers individually.)

 

[Alex321]

All roads, apart from motorways and some trunk roads, are funded by council tax.

No, they are funded by council funds. Not all of those funds come from council tax.

 

[Dogtrousers]

And how do you do big shops with no car?

I can't remember the last time I did a "big shop", going round the supermarket with a trolley. Maybe Christmas a couple of years ago.
We get heavy stuff delivered.

Full disclosure: I'm fortunate to have several supermarkets within easy walking (<30 min) distance so that does help.

The only time we take the car out shopping is occasional garden centre visits.

 

[nellietheelephant]

No, they are funded by council funds. Not all of those funds come from council tax.

The allocated budget for road upkeep and maintainence is funded from council tax.

 

[ClichéGuevara]

I would go one step further. Ban parking on a road unkess in a marked parking bay. Roads are for travel, not as a means for free storage for any item.

How would you get deliveries or tradesmen?

 

[MontyVeda]

How would you get deliveries or tradesmen?

stopping to deliver something is not parking.

 

[MontyVeda]

The allocated budget for road upkeep and maintainence is funded from council tax.

...and not forgetting the highways maintenance grants paid to local authorities from the DfT, which is some £200M this financial year

 

[ClichéGuevara]

stopping to deliver something is not parking.

Plenty of delivery drivers with parking tickets are liable to argue with you on that, but a health visitor and plenty of others in private cars would be parked, as would tradesmen.

 

[FishFright]

The allocated budget for road upkeep and maintainence is funded from council tax.

A proportion of the upkeep is funded from council tax. In reality it's paid from general funds of which one source is council tax.

The yearly bill is often accompanied by a leaflet which show's how the council tax is spent but not how the whole funds available are spent. Hence the confusion.

 

[Drago]

How would you get deliveries or tradesmen?

They come to my house and park upon my driveway.

I could make allowances for that to be fair, but simply using the road overnight for the storage of personal property is, if one thinks about it, a daft proposition.