In response to Mike Davis' “opinion” piece ("It's time cyclists paid their own way," Oct. 26), the column states that you can’t ride to school if you don’t have a license.
What a ridiculous thing to say to my 8-year-old daughter. But that is what your guest griper proposed in the Oct. 26 issue of Magnolia News. Mike Davis may think my daughter is a “Speedo-clad, over achiever with Lance Armstrong syndrome.” She thinks of herself as a kid going to school. Maybe Mike feels better about driving if he dismissively labels her, and others who ride a bike, and sarcastically attributes to them a purpose or value system he is eager to belittle.
I guess that we will always have people who don’t drive: kids, the elderly, the disabled, the poor, etc. None of whom likely aspire to race in the Tour. They are just trying get somewhere by the means they have available. It’s unlikely these folks are costing Mr. Davis any money, but it sounds like that’s not enough. In fact, he wants them to help support his choice to drive. In less time than it takes to drive to Bartell, Mr. Davis can look up how the taxpayer (driver or not) subsidizes his choice to drive. Start here: http://www.governing.com/topics/transportation-infrastructure/Do-Roads-Pay-Themselves.html
Mike Davis rolled out a few of the old car-centric culture’s “ideas” about how to fund transportation infrastructure and save him money: bicycles should be licensed, bike riders need to be insured and bike riders need to be targeted for traffic violations. His uninformed position no doubt represents the desire of mainstream motorists to ignore the facts regarding who pays for roads, which users cause the most harm, and how traffic laws work. Remember, motor vehicles are uniquely dangerous to public safety compared to other forms of transportation, and therefore have a greater standard for operators and requirement for insurance to financially protect victims from the damage motor vehicles cause.
First, I suppose we could install a license plate on every bike in the city (zip ties?) and have the owner pay a fee, in addition the sales tax paid for the bike. This, he believes would make the roads safer and raise tons of money. Would the license fee be in proportion to the vehicle weight to offset the road damage caused? If so, 0.13 cents ought to cover it per bike. Now, we would have to create city jobs with his idea to conduct safety inspections annually on all bikes. That’s how it’s done with cars, right? DMV checks my brakes and wiper blades every year to make sure the car is in safe condition.
Next, his thought is that bikes and riders should be insured because of all the damage they cause, and that this would somehow save him money. Hmm. I guess if the bike’s premium was based on a sliding scale compared to motor vehicles and the potential to kill and injure, and cause property damage, bike insurance may be affordable. Maybe a dime a year? Will State Farm cover an 8-year-old? Is there a scooter clause?
He also suggests all riders be required to have personal health insurance in case they get hit by a car and it’s the bicyclists fault. He doesn’t want the driver or taxpayers to pay for medical expenses. Brilliant! Cyclists only health insurance. It could be called O-BikeMa-Care. It’s
hypocritical for Mr. Davis to enjoy his socialized roads but insist on private health care for other users to save him money and risk. He’s the motorists Morgan-Stanley. He can resume his call for universal health care with congress next election.
Finally, in a last gasp to fill space, Mike suggests a special police force just to ticket bike riders who break traffic laws. No doubt this idea will be embraced by motorists who follow all traffic laws.
Of course, the laws already exist. All road users are subject to the rules of the road. If Seattle police choose to make traffic safety a priority, and ticket all offenders, citation revenue would surely increase, as would roadway safety. No one stands to benefit more from safer roads than vulnerable users, like my 8-year-old daughter, riding her uninsured bike, on a potholed street, swarmed by speeding cars driving their kids to school because the roads are unsafe.
Bobby Mullins, Queen Anne resident
[[In-content Ad]]