Comments on: Why cyclists don’t pay road tax in UK

By: ken Downing

Tue, 10 Sep 2013 15:54:11 +0000

Dear tejvan,
How about this for an attitude against cyclists posted in the Yorkshire Evening Post 9/sept/13

Ban cyclist on some roads.

Whilst appreciating the benefits of cyclists reducing the number of cars on the roads,could they not be banned from using certain roads?

The Moortown ring road Leeds for example where I was stuck in a very long tailback because a cyclist was riding at 10 mph!

Vehicles take thier life`s into their hands trying to overtake these cyclist and it can end in serious accidents.
A limited number of major roads where there is no room for a cycle lane could be made NO ENTRY for cyclists making a quicker and safer journey.

I cannot believe this letter.

Ken

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By: steve

Mon, 26 Aug 2013 15:36:37 +0000

I detest all this special pleading on behalf of interested parties. All tax, with the exception of the TV licence is collected to top up the main income and spending taxes and is distributed by HMG as it sees fit. With regards to roads, this means providing an infrastructure which can support civilised life as we know it. This mostly means lorries I’m afraid. They may be hated but everything you have in your home and your fridge depended on one and without them civil war would break out in days. The tree-hugging qualities of bicycles are a pin-prick on the damage caused by trucks and as I see it are mostly used to salve the angst-ridden consciences of the middle classes. Pay tax. You can afford it.

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By: Adam Jackson

Thu, 22 Aug 2013 19:13:36 +0000

Motor vehicles cost 2,200 lives a year as mentioned in the article. Instead to arguing about cyclists under tax slab for enjoying driving space on roads, we should offer incentives to people to adopt cycling as WAY of life. Also, young people who use bicycles would be unnecessarily burdened by such a tax

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By: John Gallagher

Mon, 19 Aug 2013 11:21:16 +0000

Another anomaly is that owners of “classic cars” registered before 1973 pay a zero-rate of VED. So, in theory a cyclist who emits no CO2 from burning fossil fuel on their journey is at parity with the owner of an E-Type Jaguar with 5.3 litre V12 engine …

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By: Steve

Thu, 15 Aug 2013 16:19:57 +0000

As a cyclist emits <100gm/km CO2, the only argument is about the paperwork. I pay as much VED on my car as I do on my bicycle, but I still have to go through the process of clicking through the DVLA website for the privilege of paying them nothing for running the car, which makes it a net loss for the public finances, which is worse than the bike.

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By: Cyclist road tax…the myth « London Pedal Pushers

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 12:30:59 +0000

[...] Cycling Info: road tax in the UK [...]

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By: Cycling Terms Explained | Cycling UK

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 09:49:19 +0000

[...] This is the distance of a cyclist from the side of the road that will cause a motorist to aggressively sound their horn. This can range from 15cm for Audi drivers to 30cm for sanctimonious Daily Mail readers who will also try telling you you should be paying road tax. [...]

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By: Jonomc

Sat, 18 Jun 2011 01:12:52 +0000

It really annoys me this argument about road tax (I have made the same point in another blog post). At home I have a large Mercedes and BMW sitting on the drive – I pay a higher rate than most for road tax on them because of their size. Yet I cycle into work every day (on the days I don’t, I use the train). All told I probably average 15 miles a week driving and about 150 miles on the bike.

So here I am subsidising the other drivers – paying road tax and not using the car on the road – they should be thanking me – not pulling this dull old argument out. I don’t think I am very different from many cyclists except maybe the younger ones – really this argument is just too pathetic for words.

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By: James

Mon, 28 Jun 2010 10:15:26 +0000

Interesting read. However, I was unaware that there was serious enough argument that cyclists should pay road tax. Still, this is a good defence if I ever come up against it.

I would take issue with this:
“aggressive motorists who would like to see cyclists pushed off the road, because occasionally they have to slow down to overtake someone.”
That’s a pretty comprehensive over-simplification which overlooks the sins of most cyclists (not that drivers are blameless).

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By: eric

Thu, 20 May 2010 08:05:54 +0000

Many cyclists are car owners. Whilst they are cycling their car is idle.

Note too that cyclists hardly wear the road at all. Road wear goes as the fourth power of axle load. Say a bike is 100kg and a car is 1tonne and is balanced the same, then a car does 10,000 times as much wear.

If 1 pound of a car’s tax is for road wear then a bike should be paying <1/100p/annum. But their mileage is much lower so something of the order of 1/500p/annum.

So the sales tax that your grandparents may have paid for some brake blocks have overpaid for your lifetime's use of the road.

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