The city of SLO has put out a vision statement on its website that states, “As a bicycle-friendly community, the city of SLO is leaving a positive footprint on the environment by encouraging commuters to shift from motor vehicles to bicycles, reducing the number of vehicle trips and miles traveled in the community, reducing traffic congestion, and improving air quality.”
What this clearly means is that bicycles are no longer considered just a sport but a mode of transportation similar to what a car is. Cars are taxed to help maintain the roads. Bikes use the roads, and special bike lanes have been created costing millions of dollars. It is time for the SLO County Board of Supervisors to declare a substantial flat annual tax on all bikes so this mode of transpiration can pay for its fair share of roads and public services.
Philip Mordaunt
SLO
This article appears in Health and Wellness 2020.
I think a reasonable idea would be to put a graduated fee on bicycles as they are sold. Base it on sale price. Then make sure the money goes to fund bike path/lane maintenance, trail maintenance and new paths/ trails. Believe the state of Oregon has this type of fee in place.
@Steve Fleury
Sounds reasonable in theory but my experience shows that far more bikes are bought used and would never get taxed.
Some cities still require bike owners, new or used, to register their bike with their mailing address city. That’s when they should get taxed like auto owners. If and when the biker gets pulled over and the tag is checked, if it is non existent or not up to date with the current rider/owners name, issue a citation. Like it’s always been done in cities that still require bike registration.
Is not recreating the wheel time, it’s really just back to the future.