Chicago to Charge Annual Bike Registration Fee?

[charissa10]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/clout/chi-alderman-wants-25-bike-registration-fee-20131023,0,7405166.story

Some very huge ridiculousness in this article. It mentions that they don't want to tax cable because that's what people use for entertainment. Aren't bikes more important as a form of transportation for those on fixed incomes then making sure those same people can afford cable?

Even though $25/ year still would make biking much more affordable, I just believe there are better things to tax then my bicycle. I think enforcement would also be a nightmare and probably end up costing more than the registration fee anyhow, especially seeing how they are suggesting a safety class with that registration fee.

[MilwaukeeStubble]

20,000 bike commuters in Chicago times $25 = $500,000

Now, there's a lot more than 20,000 bikers in the city, but compliance won't be very high so I think the number of bike commuters, probably the most serious riders in the city, serves as a decent guide to the number of permits that will be bought.

Subtract the cost of administering the program, and the 1 hr safety class she also proposed, and I don't see this being a significant revenue generator for the city, if it doesn't lose money.

Philosophically, I'm not opposed to the idea of a city sticker for bikes, but if it won't generate revenue then there's not much point.

That's not even to mention all the extreme negative side effects of such a law, which I'm too lazy to get into right now.

[TygerTung]

Ridiculous.

[mpbaker22]

Nothing like taxing the most efficient mode of transportation currently known, not to mention cheapest for governments to maintain.

[MilwaukeeStubble]

Nothing like taxing the most efficient mode of transportation currently known, not to mention cheapest for governments to maintain.

Yes!
 The thing that always gets missed in the cars vs. bikes debate is that even with all the taxes and fees cars are still subsidized more than bikes because the cost of bike infrastructure is so much less. 

Like I said, philosophically I'm not opposed to the idea of a bicycle wheel tax (for reference, Chicago's wheel tax for a sedan is $135) but the negative of discouraging riding alone means this is a terrible idea.

[MilwaukeeStubble]

Also,

I'm not sure what the article mentions, but this is a proposal by a largely bike friendly alderman, but it's not supported by the mayor and is therefore Dead on Arrival.

[mpbaker22]

Nothing like taxing the most efficient mode of transportation currently known, not to mention cheapest for governments to maintain.

Yes!
 The thing that always gets missed in the cars vs. bikes debate is that even with all the taxes and fees cars are still subsidized more than bikes because the cost of bike infrastructure is so much less. 

Like I said, philosophically I'm not opposed to the idea of a bicycle wheel tax (for reference, Chicago's wheel tax for a sedan is $135) but the negative of discouraging riding alone means this is a terrible idea.

Yea, despite my conservative leanings,  I can't stand certain parts of the party.  I was talking to a friend who was complaining about subsidized buses and trains, and how they should have an even playing field for car drivers.  She literally couldn't understand even after careful explanation that subsidies on driving are the largest of all, and that's before factoring in all the nonsense war costs.

[russianswinga]

When I worked at the University of California, Davis, the school heavily encouraged cycling (in fact, it's one of the most bicycle friendly universities)

However, they did charge a $30/yr bike registration fee. It gave you a tamper-proof sticker you had to apply to your bike.
If you lock up your bike on campus without this sticker, they WILL cut your lock and impound your bike. Fee to retrieve this bike from the impound lot would be $100. Plus $30 or so you'll need for a new lock.

Fortunately, the City of Davis, which the university is in, was not that crazy. I would ride my unregistered bike to work, and just take it into the office with me, parking it indoors.

[kms]

I've been wondering for a looooong time now how much longer it'd possibly take politicians to start taxing bicycles, although I was expecting that to happen on a federal scale not local. Also, since tax levels in Europe are generally speaking much higher than in the US and we have shitty taxes on pretty much everything (even taxes on other taxes!) I was expecting that to happen over here first.

Europe, you disappoint me.