Do You Pay Road Tax?

[ToraToraTora]

Bet you don't!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-23694438
How can we end the Motorist/cyclist war? Like many I do both and when I'm doing one it's hard not to hate the other!

[friedgreentomato]

£100 but not for horses because I like horses.

[woofgang]

50 quid for an adult, 25 quid for under 18's, free for under 18's still in full time education.

[woofgang]

that's bikes, not horses.

[AB Editor]

Do you have any idea how much damage is done by cyclists? I don't, I wonder if there are stats for this stuff?

[aelmpvw]

with the enthusiastic championing of cycling by the government i think there may a road tax on bikes around the corner

[AB Editor]

So a cyclist is doing as much damage to the road and environment as a Toyota Yaris FGT?

It would have to be the same for horses I suppose, or maybe a little more as they do have iron if shod.

[AB Editor]

How much for mobility scooters and horses then Woof?

I'm trying to save the Gov a consultation fee :)

[woofgang]

well if cyclists don't do much damage then their insurance will be cheap. The subject of horses is more difficult as they vary enormously in how much they are on the road, more like off road motorbikes which do not need tax. Mobility scooters that are used on roads already need to be taxed don't they? ....checked....yes they do, they have to be registered and issued with a nil duty tax disc. The others which are not designed for road use shouldn't be on roads.

[jomifl]

Why not tax shoes as shoe wear is an indication of pavement wear. Except for those with a 'jimmy Choo' label of course as they aren't used for walking.

[WELSHYORKIE]

Ed - there may be worse emissions from a horse but at least you can use the sh*t that comes out of the horse on your roses - can't say that about a car!!

[JoolsTwo]

I've had a car damaged by a cyclist. He came up the inside of me when I was stopped at lights and scrapped all along the side of the car, so I think they should carry insurance to pay for that sort of damage.

[vulcan42]

Call it what you want, it is a tax to be on the road. Cyclist use the road, therefore they should pay a tax.

[naomi24]

I call it road tax too - and I don't think cyclists should pay it. I do however, think it would be a good idea for them to be insured.

[Canary42]

I don't pay what you refer to as "road tax" because my car is below the 100 emission level.

[Sipowicz]

I think cyclists should pay tax to ride on the pavement!

[ummmm]

Exactly, Canary, how can we tax cyclists when some motorist don't have to pay?

[jake-the-peg]

I do think there's a case for mandatory insurance.

I think at the moment if a cyclist causes an accident there's a tendency to try to find a motorist to blame because they'll be insured

[ToraToraTora]

Thank you all for your contributions. Those advocating insurance/tax etc for bikes are falling into the age old trap, I endorse the intention but in reality it's far too complex a problem to solve. The main obstacle is that it's unenforcable, you'd need to have a registration system for bicycles, reg numbers etc. What about language students etc? children? we can't even get them off the pavements! You may as well say that we should have peace on earth, great idea!

[BRIGHT SPARK]

...and while were at it drivers who regularly park on a public highway should pay for a permit!

[TWR]

I think this serious post is going silly with some answers, they, the bibes have Cycle lanes, the time taken by the Highway Authority is not paid by the Cyclist! Why? a lot of money has been put aside to improve Cycle Lanes, so i think they should be charged & they should have insurance, how many of you have had your car scratched by a cycle at traffic lights? 7 they should be fined for going through a Red light, & No I'm not anti Cycle. Cycles do not cause road surface damage, road surface damage is caused by the people that try and do a cheap job in the first place, for the money that's collected I wish they would publish where that money goes or is this another secret?