If I suffer damages due to a neglected pothole while driving a car or riding a Vespa, can I sue... Or once I burn fuel I'm exempt?

If we require a licence for such trivial things like taking your kid to a pond or stream to fish, it is only appropriate we licence cyclists (not their bikes).

ATTENTION: The benefit that the automobile users get from cyclists is 'one less car' on the road. Meaning: that much less traffic, less smog. Since everyone pays taxes, it is the car users that get the better benefits, since the cars need so much more money for their roadways. It is a moron that doesn't understand that.

Don't forget that potholes adversely affect motorcyclists as well. And motorcyclists pay for insurance, tags, registrations, tolls and related fees just like car owners do.

Yes, well, there is a slight difference. Who are you going to get to level these fees and registrations? The Department of Motor Vehicles has no authority over bicycles. They don't even have power over electric bicycles, which federal law places under the authority of the Consumer Products Safety Commission rather than NHTSA or the Department of Transportation.

Oh, hey, while you're at it, how about some nice licensing, registration and insurance fees for pedestrians. Have to pay for all those people who fall on poorly maintained city sidewalks and get fat settlements, right?

cars, buses and trucks are doing all of the damage to the roads.

Most damage is caused by Mother Nature. The bitch. She freezes, then thaws, then freezes again, and water lays dormant beneath wearing courses and blinding courses, and then a big heavy bus goes over it, followed by several thousand other vehicles over the course of the day and there's the problem.

I ride my bike everywhere in this City, and I can't remember one time where I pedaled along and felt the ground breaking away beneath me.

Licensing or making cyclists pay anything, whether it be additional tax, insurance, licensing is as ridiculous as much as it is impossible, keep dreaming and we'll keep on filing.

For the record, I have been knocked off my bike a fair few times through some fault of my own, some fault of poor road conditions but mainly through drivers not paying enough attention, but never have, and will never dream of suing anyone. It's my life, my decision to ride a bike, and my responsibility.

Most damage is caused by Mother Nature.

I always thought most of the damage was done by all the hot air coming out of "thefacts."

Ha!

Cyclists already pay for roads, as does everyone: through general taxes. Road use by car drivers (when we take into account the wear produced by cars) is subsidized by everyone else.

Who are you kidding?

Cyclists pay for shit!!

What do cyclists pay for?

You pay 8,37% sales tax, just like the rest of us, and you want special treatment? Get real, boy.

Our sales tax supports your bike lanes, and we get ungatz in return.

Pay your road taxes, your road repairs, your tolls, your highway fees, your parking fees, your bridge fees, your insurance, your registration, your licensing, etc, etc, and then tell us how much you pay into the general fund.

The toxins out of an automobile's exhaust is a lot less polluting than the crap you spew.

I didn't realize that I was exempt from all other State and City taxes if I ride a bike... where is that box on my tax return?

+1

"Pay your road taxes, your road repairs, your tolls, your highway fees, your parking fees, your bridge fees, your insurance, your registration, your licensing, etc, etc, and then tell us how much you pay into the general fund."

Taxpayers are still subsidizing the roads and emergency services for accidents, plus health care for problems from pollution. Driving is heavily subsidized by everyone. If drivers paid all the costs, the fees you listed above would be much higher.

What special fees do you pay as a cyclist towards the infrastructure for bikes?

What part of "automobiles pay specific fees for their infrastructure" don't you understand?

And please, no sophistry.

"you want special treatment? "

It's not "special treatment" - it normal use of reasonable public services that are paid for in taxes by everyone.

Now if you want to reduce cycling (that is, reduce a less congesting, less damaging to the road, less polluting) for of transportation, just say that. That's what putting fees on cycling will do. If that's what you want, just say it.

when is the NYPD paying their settlements out of their budget?

They're going to figure out a way for bike riders to cough up some fees soon, you'll see.

I'm all for that. A licensing fee for bikes would be a good idea. The city needs some way to get the $$ to pay for these settlements, and if cyclists are using the roads, why not have them contribute something to the cost of maintaining them?

I think it would be reasonable to license the commercial use of bicycles such as delivery people and messengers so that when thy cause an accident their employer would be responsible. That way employers would encourage their delivery people to obey traffic laws and operate their bicycles safely. i think it would come down to weather administering such a system would be more costly than the benefits.