since bicyclists hardly pay any taxes should government stop catering to them?

Question

Car owners pay most of the taxes, such as road and gas tax, they should have the right of way. I'm not saying run cyclists of the road, but I mean, to have whole lines dedicated to bikes, while cars are in a traffic jam, and government passing laws to protect cyclists even though most of cyclists don't follow the rules of the road, and hardly stop at red lights or stop signs but then expect a car to yield them

Answer 1

Governments don't encourage cycling because cyclists pay lots of tax. They encourage it because it's a healthy activity and environmentally friendly. Cyclists (those who obey the law) don't cause congestion on normal urban roads, as they can lane split and filter where necessary. If you taxed cyclists, then lots of cyclists would get back in their cars, causing more congestion and pollution and defeating the object.



Protecting cyclists is just a matter of basic human safety given that cyclists are exposed whereas you are protected by a 2 ton metal box. If you fail to yield then you might get a couple of scratches on your car whereas the cyclist could be killed.

Answer 2

Cyclists pay about the same amount of taxes as everyone else, on the whole, and have a right to use public roadways where it is legal. They are restricted from all freeways. They incur no gas tax while cycling, but neither do they inflict any significant wear and tear on the roadways.



The rules of right-of-way have nothing to do with whether someone is on a bike or in a car. If the light is green, that person has the right of way. Same for other control devices. Right of way is about the safe and efficient flow of traffic, not about vehicle type. And cyclists should always follow the rules. Those who do not are breaking the law and subject to tickets, etc. just like drivers. No one is defending a cyclist who runs a stop sign. But we also need drivers to operate responsibly. Passing a cyclist in a dangerous and illegal manner just so he doesn't have to slow down for a few seconds is not proper driving.



I agree we need improvement in the way that roads are shared. I see a lot of dangerous car/bike interactions out on the roads.

Answer 3

While I agree that cyclists frequently exhibit a blatant disregard for the rules of the road this is not generally true of all cyclists.



As far as infrastructure is concerned every taxpayer contributes to the government so unless the cyclist isn't a taxpayer they have paid for the highways as well.



Cyclists are also not polluting the atmosphere. Most cities have a problem with air pollution to some extent. Cyclists are part of a solution to that problem so it makes sense that governments would encourage and accommodate them.

Answer 4

Yes they should. If cyclists want to use the roads or pavements they should pay taxes.