On Sat, Feb 08, 2003 at 12:28:36AM -0600, DvB wrote: > Nobody who uses a car pays the full cost of their mode of > transportation. Nobody has ever suggested turning road building and > maintenance over to a private company that would, in turn, put toll > booths all over the place. There'd probably be rioting if that > happened. It's just sort of an accepted thing that everyone pays for > roads and parking lots whether or not they want them or use them. Which is why I find it so grating that some people have the gall to say that transportation dollars shouldn't be used to maintain bicycle-only lanes and bicycle-only roads, usually giving the excuse "because we don't pay gas tax." You're right, we don't pay gas tax. Gas burning vehicles tend to be heavier, causing more wear and tear on the roads than a bicycle, so you're making up for the added expenses associated with more destructive vehicles. I have a job, thus pay income tax to the state, which pays my share of road use. And maybe, just maybe, cyclists don't particularly care subsidizing free parking and excessive paving or putting up with the added noise and pollution associated with everybody driving thier own large, heavy vehicle alone to and from work every day. Pick a smaller vehicle or get some more passengers to reduce your gas-tax burden and quit bitchin. If you're working during the day starting between 8 and 10 AM and getting off between 3 and 6 PM, it's bloody easy to find someone going from your neighborhood to your work's neighborhood to carpool with and you should feel a civic obligation to do so if you hate paying gas tax. Or maybe even go ride public transportation or grab a bicycle yourself and pretend you're sticking it to the man like idiots think cyclists already do. > I assume this is supposed to be an argument supporting privitization of > public transit. When the building and maintenance of automobile > facilities is handed over to a for-profit company and motorists are > paying for the full cost of their transportation, then I'll consider it. Hey, there we go. -- .''`. Baloo <baloo@ursine.dyndns.org> : :' : proud Debian admin and user `. `'` `- Debian - when you have better things to do than to fix a system
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