Biker convicted of Vehicular Manslaughter for running over pedestrian in crosswalk

[bcp]

Roadway user fees imposed on motorists don't cover the costs of roads and the balance is covered by general tax funds. Because of the type of roads cyclists use and the funding that pays for them; as well as the low costs imposed by cyclists and pedestrians on the road network and society, it is actually they who subsidize motorists. And the roads they get are built to the needs of the subsidized.

There are several analyses that show that "user fees" - such as the gas tax, tolls and vehicle taxes and fees - cover only about 50-60% of road costs. [The Brookings Institute, 2003, 58.9%; Subsidy Scope, 2007, 51%; The FHWA, 1999, between 72% and 22%]. The remainder comes from other taxes and fees, property taxes and borrowing. So non-motorists do pay into the building of roads. In fact, a study by the Victoria Transport Policy Institute showed that motorists are heavily subsidized by non-motorists.

And, cyclists do pay taxes. They pay sales taxes on their bikes, bike supplies and even the calories they burn while cycling. Since there is often no sales tax on gasoline, the taxes cyclists pay per mile might in fact be very close to what drivers pay per mile. Bicyle sales alone is a $6B industry, meaning that cyclists have paid about $300M in sales taxes on their bicycles. This money is added to general tax revenue and general tax revenue is used....to build roads.

To add insult to injury, the roads that cyclists subsidize are not built for cyclists needs. On the one hand, they're overbuilt - wider and capable of carrying greater weight than cyclists need; and on the other hand they're not built or maintained to a standard that considers cyclist safety - with tire catching storm grates added and cyclist-throwing potholes allowed or temporary steel plates installed, for example.

"Victoria Transport Policy Institute" is Canadian. Things mentioned may be different in the US.

"Since there is often no sales tax on gasoline,..." ??? There sure is around here.

 

[bcp]

One way that bikers do pay for roads: They probably all own at least one motor vehicle, on which they pay taxes and licenses, and they are using their bicycle instead.

Bruce

 

[mikehaugen]

And really what wear and tear is a bicycle causing a road?

 

[Don87]

Isn't this completely arbitrary? If the speed limit is 45, but a person feels more comfortable going 25, that's okay with you, as long as they're driving a car that could go 45 if they wanted to? No. You don't like being held up because you've got a job to do. But you're not advocating for minimum speed limits for all vehicles on surface streets. You're just picking on bicyclists.

I have no clue where you got an idea like that, my friend. It didn't come from my keyboard.

Time is 'miles and money' in my line of work. Appointments must be met. If a driver is late for a Walmart DC appointment, he can hole up in a truck stop for at least a week til he gets a new appointment. That's a week with no pay, and the driver still has to eat, shower and do laundry. A shower at a truck stop is 10 to 15 dollars(depending on the truck stop) 3 meals a day can easily cost 30 to 40 dollars.

Speed limits on any highway should be adhered to by anyone using that roadway(conditions permitting of course) as a matter of safety and traffic flow. I'm not picking on anyone, just stating facts.

And as a test for yourself, go stand on the shoulder of a highway and let a few 18 wheelers come by you at 65mph. It will blow your hat off your head, and push you sideways. I've seen cars with flat tires blown off their jacks by the wind pressure from trucks while on the side of the road. What's that doing to a 120lb dweeb on a #40 bicycle?

 

[rider0]

I have no clue where you got an idea like that, my friend. It didn't come from my keyboard.

Time is 'miles and money' in my line of work. Appointments must be met. If a driver is late for a Walmart DC appointment, he can hole up in a truck stop for at least a week til he gets a new appointment. That's a week with no pay, and the driver still has to eat, shower and do laundry. A shower at a truck stop is 10 to 15 dollars(depending on the truck stop) 3 meals a day can easily cost 30 to 40 dollars.

Speed limits on any highway should be adhered to by anyone using that roadway(conditions permitting of course) as a matter of safety and traffic flow. I'm not picking on anyone, just stating facts.

And as a test for yourself, go stand on the shoulder of a highway and let a few 18 wheelers come by you at 65mph. It will blow your hat off your head, and push you sideways. I've seen cars with flat tires blown off their jacks by the wind pressure from trucks while on the side of the road. What's that doing to a 120lb dweeb on a #40 bicycle?

Hmm, when I'm out west - in states with automobile speed limits posted at 70, 75, even 80+ MPH, I have to sit behind trucks doing 55mph (the truck speed limit on the same road), making me late for my appointment.

Don't you think that "Speed limits on any highway should be adhered to by anyone using that roadway" ?

Or should trucks alone be exempt?

 

[joshuabardwell]

I have no clue where you got an idea like that, my friend. It didn't come from my keyboard.

You said that vehicles on a roadway should be required to be capable of going the speed limit. You didn't say that they actually had to be going the speed limit. That's where that idea came from. Based on what you said, a car that was capable of going 65 would be okay with you on the road, even if it was actually going 25. But of course, that's silly, and that's not what you meant. I think you meant that you don't like vehicles that are going very slow relative to the average speed of the road, or something like that.

And as a test for yourself, go stand on the shoulder of a highway and let a few 18 wheelers come by you at 65mph. It will blow your hat off your head, and push you sideways. I've seen cars with flat tires blown off their jacks by the wind pressure from trucks while on the side of the road. What's that doing to a 120lb dweeb on a #40 bicycle?

Okay, so two things. 1) I've changed a flat tire on the left-hand runoff lane, and yes, the blast from vehicles at that speed is substantial. 2) There should really never be a circumstance where a bicyclist and a semi going 65+ mph are on the same road. Bicycles are prohibited from entering limited-access interstates, and semis should never be going that fast on surface streets. I think the, "Blown off your bike," claim is ridiculous because I rode for several years, and I never even had a hint of a problem with losing control due to wind blast from passing vehicles.

 

[BrandonR]

if a truck driver hits a cyclist, he will most likely spend the rest of his natural life in prison, even if the cyclist is at fault. Truck drivers are considered 'professionals' and therefore should know that the cyclist will do something stupid.

In reality though the truck drivers almost always get off scott free using the "I didn't see them" defense.

 

[slowzuki]

First many highways have a minimum speed and don't permit bikes, pedestrians or SMV's.

From running tractors on our farm I get my share of dirty looks and people giving me the finger for moving farm equipment on our secondary road. Luckily being in a 14,000 lb tractor I don't worry about them nudging me.

I'm sympathetic to most bikes because they face the same arses on the road as me only they are wearing spandex on a 20 lb road bike. I've talked to one who was hospitalized, getting a biggies size cup of ice in the face tossed from oncoming 50 mph vehicle. Broke his poly carbonate sunglass lenses and tore his face to pieces.

I don't mind bikes doing a rolling stop, they have a lot more time to assess the traffic at the intersection rolling up at 10 mph vs texting 17 year Jane Doe rolling in at 50 mph with music blaring.

 

[Rustyiron]

Yes, bikers have the "same rights to the road as a car" but a little common curtsey and pulling over to ride single file and let the 15 cars behind them pass would do wonders for how they are viewed by others on the road.

Aaron Z

Josh, I would like to see more bike use, just not on the same lane that is intended for 3 or 4 times the operating speed of a bike. It just does not make sence trying to mix 10-15 mph with 45-55 mph. It is a touchy subject here in Maine as the idiot legislature just passed some insane laws that heavly favor the spandex crowd. With the new laws, the cyclist determines how far to the right it is safe for him to operate (in the middle of the lane if it suits him), and in an accident the guilt is presumed to be on the motor vehicle (you need to prove your innocence, rather than being innocent until proven otherwise). There is much more to the law than these mentioned, the laws were written by a Maine bicycle group I believe.
The roads were built for, and mostly are still for commerce, with simple transportation second. I would quess that here in most of the state, 95% or more of the bikes are recreational. Go find a park to play at. Our roads are so poor here, I don't know why anyone would want to pedal on them.
AaronZ's point quoted above would help things alot. It seems that an attitude comes with that colorfull spandex.
Sorry to lump all cyclist into one, and I know that is not accurate, just apparent.

 

[arrow]

Lets face some human nature. There are people that when given a benefit, abuse this benefit and seem to act with a sense of entitlement. I've seen this as well in bicyclist, welfare recipients, greedy and dangerous corporations, truckers who think they own the road because they drive a 35 ton behemoth, motorist with glamorous cars, children who have the household wrapped around their little fingers, cops, legislators, and can I stop now? Anyone will use the broad paint brush if that is what they mostly experience. We are all chinked and cracked so lets save our mental wrists with trying to pry the screw driver in. We don't need to make these chinks any larger.All we need to do is enforce the laws we already have to mitigate some of the chaos.