Bill would slap bicyclists with $10 fee
»Play Video
SALEM, Ore. - Oregon lawmakers will consider a bill that would slap bicyclists with a $10 registration fee.
The lawmaker behind the idea is proposing a system similar to car registration where cyclists would have to show their bike is registered.
But there would be a boon for cyclists: The fees would partially go toward a state bicycle transportation improvement fund to pay for development and upkeep or bicycle lanes, bicycle paths and other projects. It would also pay for roads.
The proposal, sponsored by Sen. Larry George, R-Sherwood, has not yet had a hearing and it’s unclear whether it would have a state revenue impact.
Senate Bill 769 outlines several other restrictions that would be imposed if someone didn’t register a bike, namely a $25 fine for failure to register. Cyclists would also be penalized if they don’t report a change of ownership or address.
George said one of his constituents complained about rural roads in Yamhill County being clogged with bicyclists. The constituent said cyclists use the roads but don't help pay for them.
"Roads are something that we all share the cost and what we do is have gas taxes, how many miles we drive, so when you use the roads you pay for the roads," George said. "When you have people who use the roads but don't pay for the roads then all it does is shift the burden to somebody else. So it's about evening out the burden."
A spokesman for the Bicycle Transportation Alliance said the group needs to study the bill more, but they're quick to point out that most cyclists also own cars and would end up paying more than their fair share if this idea moves forward.
"Bicycles really cause negligible damage on the roads," BTA spokesman Will Vanlue said. "In many cases you could have someone who owns a car and rides a bicycle most of the time and is actually paying more into the transportation system than the wear and tear they're causing."
We spoke with several cyclists on Tuesday who said the proposed system isn't fair.
"If you take it to the logical extreme then you register pedestrians, then you register pets," said Nick Reddel. "I mean, there's a limit and obviously cars use the road so much more."
"People don't want to have to register and pay to have a bike," said Colin Dolittle.
For his part, George said he introduced the bill to start a conversation. "I like the idea of having a conversation about it," he said.
Do you support the fee? Leave a comment below and vote in our web poll.
Don't worry the bill is not going anywhere.
IT IS A FREE RIDE and it's time has come to share the road and that means share any expenses that are directed to bike lane markings, signs, bike boxes, and including a so called bike only lane taking away a lane from vehicles. I ride a bicycle as well but I obey the traffic laws AND wear the appropriate clothing when riding at night unlike the trend today of these idiots riding bicycles at night without any lights and wearing black clothing, like these misguided individuals want to be hit by vehicles, bike reregistration and licensing could stop this trend but it's highly unlikely with the attitude " I'm invincible "Â on a bike.Â
Typical -- a GOP loudmouth who doesn't know his facts, thinking gas tax/registration/auto sales taxes pay for the roads -- and sheeple commenting on here agreeing with him, showing THEIR ignorance, as well.
Roads are paid for with sales taxes, property taxes, federal subsidies, and IN SMALL PERCENTAGE, gas taxes. Â The miniscule amount lost by bike riders not buying gas (or, as MUCH, since most bike riders also own and drive cars) is MORE THAN OFFSET by the COMPLETE LACK of impact a bicycle has on roadway wear and tear. Â Roadways would be destroyed by creeping OVERGROWTH of weeds before bicycles do even NOTICEABLE damage!
It's NOT a "free ride", drivers and naysayers; it's simple math, the kind you SHOULD have learned before high school. Â REMEMBER: you own a CAR, NOT THE ROAD. Â The road is for THE PUBLIC, not CARS.
@Mark Brewster Who pays for the police, fire, and paramedics that are called to the scene when a bicyclist thinks they own the road and are proven wrong? Share the road, share the bill. How many people come to ride in rural Washington county that live Multnomah county? After they get this approved lets work on hikers required to carry mandatory GPS trackers or face a fine if caught without them. If I want to go fishing, I have to buy a licence, I want to go boating, again licence endorsement & boat tag, ride an atv anywhere, buy the permit. You get the picture on how it works? Ride a bike on public roads, get a permit/licence. How about a licence plate for your bike that I can report you for running stop signs/lights or  other violations?Â
@Richard Goezinyahthe person for whom the paramedics are called pays for it (either out of pocket or through their insurance). You even receive a bill in the mail as a souvenir of your misfortune. Taxes do not provide nearly as much taxpayer subsidy as you think, and even if they did, practically none of the police, fire or paramedics' money comes from gas taxes - it overwhelmingly comes from property taxes.
I find it hilarious that you think that it's fine to force hikers to wear mandatory tracking devices, but your kind thinks a registry showing who has purchased a gun is an unconstitutional invasion of privacy. I know another type of person who has to wear a GPS tracking device: convicted criminals on probation. Are you even remotely serious in suggesting that hikers should be subject to the same loss of privacy as a criminal?
I find it laughable that you think that as a private citizen, you can report anyone via their license and they'll be held accountable, let alone cyclists. Don't believe me? Try reporting the next person you see who commits a moving violation via their car license plate to the police and see what happens-- hint: it isn't 'they get a ticket from the police'.
@Matthew C @Richard GoezinyahSo when police fire and rescue are called and said person has no insurance or denies service where does that bill go? Every time that engine rolls out of the station that costs money. If said bicyclist lives in a different county then where the said services/ incident happened then their property tax doesn't pay for it. Can you follow that. Thats kinda like saying everyone who goes to the doctor or hospital pays for their bill, hhmmm I don't think so.  How much does it cost to run a search and rescue when tweedle dumb gets lost on the mountain because birds ate the gdamn bread crumbs they toss behind them and cant find there way back? As far as a gun purchase for the public to see ? What are you serious ? If I, being a law abiding citizen, buy a gun, my name should be put on a list for the public to see? Are you high? What would that do for anything? I will gladly put my name on a list of citizens who owns guns but..I want there to be a registry of people who don't own guns as well, lets see who gets the home invasion ;) . And yes as a citizen You Can Issue a ticket.Â
OH and btw if the roads are for the public and not cars, do us a favor and take a walk down I-5 in the fast lane tonight. I sure that will work out well for you.
Like I said the free ride is over for these people, if you don't like it move to another city, if you bike then pay for the use of the roads like motor vehicles do.
How roads are REALLY paid for:Â http://blog.oregonlive.com/commuting/2011/01/do_roads_pay_for_themselves_no.html
In other words, the roads are MOSTLY paid out of the general fund, not gas taxes.
Portland spends only 5% (if that) of its total tranportation budget on cycling and walking infrastructure.
Get a sense of proportion!
Only $ 10.00 ? well it's a start, these bicyclists expect to have everything free this is a joke they want their own bicycle lanes and these stupid bike boxes and want and to take lanes away from streets just for them well I have news for them all these things cost money, these people who bicycle all the time to and from work should pay their share to use the road, the free ride is over with the cost of everything going up they want all these improvements then they should help pay for them period. also a bicycle licensing program should be implemented so people can get a license plate number when a bicyclist runs a red light or stop sign like many do, it's about time the traffic laws are obeyed by all who use the roads.  Â
This is utterly ridiculous. Â Remind me to vote this clown out of office. Â And any other clown that wants to impose MORE TAXES THAN WE ALREADY PAY! What's next? Â A walking tax to anyone that walks on a sidewalk? Â I hope everyone here see's how desperate the politicians are to steal more of our money. Â Cause that's what this is all about. Â Digging deeper into YOUR pockets to take more of the little you have leftover from what they already pilfered out of your paycheck. Â And don't give me this BS about how we all have to do our part. Â Because we ARE already doing our part. Â The politicians aren't! Â They are blowing OUR Money on Crap!! Â That we didn't even ask for... Â An Art Tax??? Â Seriously???
The problem is the mismanagement of the money they are already stealing from us and now they want more money to mismanage. Â Yeh, the streets in PDX are in desperate need of repair. Â Got That!! But maybe if they would have fixed the streets and sidewalks with the money they stole from us back then, the streets wouldn't be in disrepair now! Â This solution of, just take more and more and more out of the people's pockets has got to stop! Â As an example, a couple of months the city came by and said that I needed to replace my sidewalk because and I quote, "My sidewalk represents a clear and present danger to the community". Â The tree roots pushed up one of the sidewalk panels an 1/8 of an inch and all friggin hell breaks loose! Â And they didn't just tag me! Â They went through the entire neighborhood and sent out registered letters. Â The mailman was like, "yep, everyone is getting them. Â don't know what they are. Â Pls sign here." Â And the town said that if I didn't do it, they would do it for me and of course it would cost twice as much. Â You see where I am going? Â But the streets in PDX aren't "A clear and present danger?" Â I avoid going to Portland cause the streets are as bad as NYC! Â I would know, because I am from NYC!... Â Wake up people... Â They won't be happy until they take it all from you and you are left with your handout! Â
The wording of the poll "bicyclists should pay their fair share" shows the inherent anti bike bias in the author of this article.Â
@Dan Cavanaugh Yep, the poll is based entirely on a false assumption. What a lame excuse for journalism. But KATU has shown this bias consistently over the years. Journalistic ethics are a thing of the past.
Registering bicycles won't work, it's too messy logistically. Issue permits to ride a bike downtown. These can be issued by Trimet just like bus passes. If a cyclist gets pulled over and can't produce their permit, then they get a big fine.
If they can collect an art tax, they can do this.
Sell daily/monthly ride permits for bicycles. If they don't display it prominently then they can get a fine and a poke with a taser. Or just give them a poke with a taser.
This is a ridiculous, politically motivated idea. The ACTUAL FACT is that roads are not paid for entirely by gas taxes. Gas taxes pay only a small portion of the actual costs, and most of that is spent is spent on interstates taht bikes seldom use or are forbidden from using outright. City and county roads in particular (where you're likely to find people on bikes) are paid for by a number of different means including property taxes, state taxes, county taxes, registration fees, etc. Study after study has shown that cyclists are actually subsidizing auto infrastructure.Â
The FACT is that any cyclist with a job, a house and/or a car (which is most of them, according to studies), is ALREADY PAYING MORE THAN THEIR FAIR SHARE. I'm yelling because this has been shown many times yet every time some idiot senator proposes one of these moronic bills, you hear the same tired misinformation about cyclists "freeloading."
Moreover, the money spent on bicycle infrastructure is miniscule as a percentage of total transpo budgets (1-2%) and the vast majority of that is spent on things that benefit cars, not bikes. Bike lanes, for example, serve auto drivers by moving bike traffic to the side of the road, despite the fact that many hazards to bikes lurk there.
If you honestly think that bikes are "in your way" take this simple challenge: take a stop watch with you on your next commute and time how long you are stuck behind another car and time how long you are stuck behind a bike. The fact of the matter is, our streets are over-crowded and we should be providing incentives, not penalties, to people who choose an alternative to driving a car.
ShareDeleteJust think of the great sting operation that could result from this: cops waiting at the Oregon border for Seattle-to-Portland riders to arrive and busting every one of them for violating the law at $25 a pop that would be nearly a quarter million dollars.  And, all the revenue from tourists that could be generated if only they could be fined for having an unlicensed bike. And, cops could run various sting operations on all the organized bike rides like Portland Parkways and Cycle Oregon.   That would be awesome all those bikes in one place and all that criminal activity....yea, Oregon would surely rate among the best Places in the world to ride a bike....great for tourism!!!
@Agness P WeatherbyÂ
the bill clearly says that it would only apply to residents.
@Agness P Weatherby Sorry-can't. Bicyclists are a protected class in this town. They even get their own special green amnesty box where no matter what they do they can just go stand in one and nobody can do anything.
@Agness P WeatherbyÂ
Problem is that a traffic stop costs more than $25/each. So they would actually go in the hole for every stop they made.Â
@Jenni S. @Agness P Weatherby I'm sure that you have the facts on that.
oh no, a whopping 10 dollars to help offset the millions of dollars spent on bike paths and bike lanes? and dont forget they park for free!   really??  why dont we start with 100 dollars and go from there!
@john There are cars parked for free all over my neighborhood. On most residential streets at least half of the public roadway is taken up by people storing their private vehicles at taxpayer expense. What do you think they should be paying? Or are you naive enough to believe that gas taxes actually cover all of these costs?
Lars had a good idea for for bike tax. Tax the tires for bikes. You ride more, you pay more.Â
@Basruton  That would penalize the local bike shops; tires are available on line.
This is a wonderful idea! Not sure about cities, since I don't do much city driving, but bicyclists are the absolute bain of rural driving, especially if you've been "lucky" enough to have your road designated as part of a scenic bike tour. Gaggles of 40, 50, 60-+ cyclists riding S L O W L Y , sometimes 4 and 5 abreast, blocking both lanes of traffic are commonplace. Why shouldn't anything with wheels have to help bear the burden of cost in keeping our roads up? Cyclists have had a powerful lobby, and avoided paying their fair share for way too long!
@Patriot1946Â Yes, and we should get the tractors and combines and boat-towers and ATV haulers and RV drivers off the rural roads too.
You need to learn how our roads are funded and you need to learn how to share.
All you spandex wearing Lance Armstrong wanna be's are just a bunch of cry babies, worse then a 3 year old.
Now if we could just charge all those dang people who draw breath and walk everywhere..
This is stupid...
So, they will give my neighbors little 6 year old girl a fine for riding her bike? They need to think befor they threaten. At least put it in context that will sound fair.
The registration should be the same as a vehicle, since a bike is a vehicle, minus the DEQ fee. Every 2 years. Be required to carry liability insurance. OBEY all the traffic laws. When they get pulled over, they must produce proof of registration and insurance or get their bike impounded.
@theobserver Bicyclists also emit "greenhouse gases". I say we HAVE DEQ testing. You ride a stationary bike for 20 minutes at a certain speed. Your CO2 and methane emissions would be measured and multiplied by the mileage on your mandatory GPS monitoring (as proposed for cars) and tax accordingly.
10 dollars is to cheap it should be 50 dollars every 2 years, with liability insurance.Â
@samsloohouse Â
yeah, because a bicycle can cause sooooo much damage in an accident.
Oh noes.... the paint on your car got scratched when you hit me and mangled my bike!
Seriously, though. I pay, what, around $80 every two years for my truck, which puts in at least 7500 miles on roads and my bike put in 1000 miles last year and is less than 1% of the weight of my truck (meaning less road wear). Doesn't seem like good math....
Ridiculous. How many millions will it cost to set up this new registration program, staff it and manage all the bicycle records? The ten dollar fee won't even pay for the administration, let alone extra money to build more bike lanes. Then there's the question of enforcement. I used to think they had smart people as lawmakers in Oregon, but the past few weeks/years I see they have a bunch of senseless idiots writing laws. There should be some sort of competency test for becoming a law maker. Sheesh.
@The Voice of Reason Gee, how many millions will they spend to collect the "art tax"? Depends on the clowns running the show.
I think Oregon should take a year off and say "No new laws for 1 year." and fire all the lawmakers. If we ever need to pass any new law, I'm sure we could do it without all the deadwood and public leaches we have in Salem. We could use all the money we save to build bike roads.
@The Voice of Reason mad you might actually have to pay your own way? I personally think all proceeds should be paid back to motorists who have had to spend money on bike lanes that make traffic for motorists worse.
@Jeepers @The Voice of Reason make traffic for motorists worse.??
You do realize that life is what you make it right...??
Take the average cost per year of all bicycle-related road "improvements" - bike lanes, bike boxes, etc ad nauseum - and divide by the number of adult cyclists, and make THAT the fee.
Guarantee you it'll be more than a mere $10.
This bill made me smile.. finally some progress. You have gotten bike paths, bike trails, bike racks and boxes. While those of us who drive have footed the bill. $10 is fair enough. Personally I think its low, but its progress. Time to start pulling your own weight.
@Newsin Ten dollars may be fair enough but why do you think cyclists don't 'pull their own weight'? I am 100%% confident I do and most people who I ride with do as well. We ride. We drive. We buy gas. We pay taxes. The same taxes you pay.
@jbloeÂ
Actually, you're not paying any taxes on the miles you ride your bike. Vehicle owners are, as they're using up gas that came with a tax. Yes, you may have a car - but when you're on your bike, you are not using it. You're not using the gas inside that car. You can't count the taxes/registration/etc. you pay on your car towards your bike - we can't do it for our non-bicycle vehicles and you shouldn't be able to, either. Otherwise I should only have to pay for one set of plates/stickers and that can transfer between my vehicles since I can only use one at a time.
@Jenni S. @jbloe Jenni, you are incorrect. Gas taxes pay for only a small part of road budgets. The rest comes from the general fund (property tax, income tax, fees, etc.). So yes, since I have a job and own a house I have paid taxes for the roads I am using when I ride my bike. Note also that I have paid registration fees on my two cars and that I pay those fees whether or not I drive the car. If you were to actually research the subject you would discover that someone who doesn't drive at all is actually subsidizing the infrastructure that drivers use. So, care to pony up a little more to make things fair?
@jbloe I currently pay multiple registrations. Do you? Didn't think so.
I don't bike but the only thing more hilarious than this stupid idea is the R behind the name of the Bill's sponsor. Bring on the taxes Republicans!! Â
@auditor poor baby don't you have the $10 for your registration?
@BarbWire @auditor Maybe you don't get the point he/she seems to be trying to make. Pointing out the hypocrisy of the Republicon party.Â
In case you don'e know, hypocrisy is the state of promoting or trying to enforce standards, attitudes, lifestyles, virtues, beliefs, principles, etc., that one does not actually hold. Adding a tax and calling it a fee or something else is hypocrisy.
You can look it up. There's this thing called the Internet. I'll sell you the latest copy on DVD. Â ;)
@jbloe @BarbWire @auditor Republicans do want to decrease taxes, they also want people to pay their own way. Which is what this falls under.
No this is just a furtherance of tracking and control.  Not about money although they will gladly  confiscate more.  Big brother does not like people "off grid" and bikes still are, for now.  Note I do not own or ride a bike but a right lost for some is another for all.
@Ramona so expecting people who ride bikes is big brother watching them?  I think you need to lay off of the Kool Aid