Free Bus Travel for Cyclists

Great idea!

Transport solutions for the future require just this sort of creative thinking

Nothing is wrong with it. It’s a great idea.
I wouldn’t worry too much about what people on here say.

Why do people want to wreck it for others? it’s not often that you get anything free nowadays! I don’t use the service, but I’m glad it’s there if I ever decide to use it! There should be more free stuff, and not less free stuff! What’s wrong with trying to encourage people to leave their cars at home and go green?

Cyclist should pay the same road tax as motorists and they do: none.

There is no road tax, here are some charges that are actually levied:

Fuel excise – excise is subtly different from other taxes. Firstly, it is not levies on the basis of value, but on quantity. Why is this? Excise is frequently imposed to modify behaviour, in this case regulate car transport, aid the environment, reduce imports and to conserve resources. Everybody pays fuels excise either directly or indirectly. Road users pay different amounts of fuel excise: trucks and buses pay a large amount, hybrid card drivers pay a moderate amount, cyclists pay virtually none. It is about your consumption of a product not use of the road. Even non-road users indirectly pay fuel excise as fuel is consumed to produce and deliver goods and services.

Motor vehicle registration – this is imposed for a variety of reasons. It is important that motor vehicles are safe and in good working order. Also it is important that dangerous drivers are accountable for their actions. Bicycles can be safely maintained by a child, unlike a modern vehicle that requires specialist training. Cyclists break road rules far less frequently than car drivers (I see a cyclist run a red light about once a year, I see this weekly at the least by a car driver, I have never seen a cyclist use a mobile phone or speed in a 60km zone….. I could go on). Lots of cyclist d not wear helemts, it is a simple matter to stop and issue fines as cyclists are easy to stop, so no need for plates. Many motorists do not pay motor vehicle registration (e.g. they onlydrive borrowed or shared cars), should they be banned from the road.

Driver Licence Fees: These fees are mainly for the bureacracy and paperwork involved in issuing licences.

I could go on. But the bottomline is that cycling is part of the transport solution for the future. Governments understand the benefits and thus actively encourage rather than discourage cycling.

Also every bike on the road is an extra parking space available for a motorist to use.

Hehehe reminds me of when I was riding the bus once and someone was using the rack. The bus driver went too fast over a speed hump and the rack crunched into the ground on the way down. YOUCH! Glad I didn’t have a bike on that one! But they can only hold two bikes at a time can’t they?

“…meeting one of the objectives outlined in the government’s climate change strategy.”

So… instead of giving free fares to all and thus encourage reductions in green house by getting cars off the road, we’ll give poeple who are already taking an alternative (to cars) transport free ride…

yep, all those pollies can feel warm and fuzzy tonight knowing they’re doing their bit (with as little impact on finances as possible).

Vehice rego fees only cover approx 30% of road costs anyway and as Lilli points out, many cyclists are also drivers. (Do you really think they ride because they can’t afford cars and or don’t know how to drive?)

I’m not trying to add fuel to any fire (I can see both sides of the bikes on road vs. not arguments), but as both a cyclist AND a motorist I pay taxes and enjoy the dedicated bike lanes. I’d suggest I’m not the only one. I’d also wonder whether the cost of implementing an extra ‘bicycle’ tax would outweigh the benefits of said tax. ie. how would bikes be ‘registered’? Are all ages expected to pay? So on and so forth.. Some food for thought either way.

Maybe, just maybe, the idea is to try to increase that proportion??

Yeah Thumper – having spent an outrageous amount of ratepayers funds on the unused racks the only option to ensure that they are not seen as a total waste of money is to let bike riders ride for free..

When will Jon realise that bike riders are outnumbered by motorists 10 to 1 and his cowtowing to Pedalpower’s demands will only drive the frustrated motorists – aka ratepayers – to give their vote to someone else – how about the Motorist Party?? I’m just about ready to vote for them..