A specific road use tax on EVs and hybrids makes no sense.
Given the harms caused by traditional vehicles, society should welcome the decline in fuel excise revenue caused by the transition to EVs – in the same way we should welcome declining revenue from cigarette taxes.
Vehicle registration fees make only a modest contribution to road costs. That’s why all motorists should pay a road-user charge. The payment should be based on a combination of vehicle mass and distance travelled
Absolutely fucking terrible idea.
From the driver. When bikes and cars collide, the driver is basically always responsible, so they’re the ones who pay.
Cyclists don’t create a cost. More cyclists is literally a net positive economically, the exact opposite of car drivers. Cyclists cause negligible wear and tear on the roads, even once you account for the risk of crashes (which is actually a car’s fault anyway), they’re a lower burden on public healthcare, and they’re more likely to be spending money at local businesses.
Literally everything about encouraging more people to ride rather than drive is positive. And by extension, putting up any barriers is a terrible idea. Even a “nominal amount” would deter huge numbers of people from cycling. And that’s not the effect we want.
Found the cyclist.
Why shouldn’t every road user pay a share of the cost? Even the perception of some people not paying a share creates bad feeling and negative attitudes. Wear and tear aren’t the only costs to maintenance. There’s running costs like street lighting, traffic lights - and don’t cyclists always pay attention to those? I see just as many cyclists breaking road rules as car drivers. Breeze through a stop sign? Sure, I’m a cyclist, it doesn’t apply to me. Ride single file? Fuck off, we’ll ride three abreast and screw traffic flow. Get off your high horse. If cyclists stood to lose their registration through fines, they might behave a bit better.
Fault in accidents is not based on “the driver is basically always responsible”, but by established principles of evidence and wtinesses. Thank fuck. I’m aware of this principle thank you very much, I ride a motorcycle and I’m well aware of the selective vision of car drivers.
Oh, you’re one of those arseholes.
Here’s a suggestion, before making suggestions about road rules, read up on what the rules are currently, and teach yourself about what safe road use looks like.