A petition urging the UK Government to force cyclists to hold insurance and pay road tax has reached over 14,000 signatures.
Only around 500 more supporters are needed for the “issue” to be proposed to UK Prime Minister Theresa May and, somewhat strangely, to jobseeker David Cameron.
Owen McDermott, creator of the petition, wrote: “The public roads used by motor vehicles are becoming unsafe to use due to one particular community that feel they are eligible to cycle on public UK roads“.
“Just like having to sit your theory and your practical test to obtain a driving license, cyclists should have to do the same. What training have they had to use the road safely?
“Insurance, if a cyclist throws him/herself into the back of a stationary motor vehicle… who’s to blame? Not the cyclist… The driver of the motor vehicle would have to pay their own excess to repair the damages.
“I’m not sure on the percentage of how many cyclists die every year due to cycling on the road, but if you stick them back on the path in a cycle lane I’m sure a lot more people will survive.”
Let’s just take a line by line approach for a moment here – largely because otherwise we really don’t know where to start.
- “one particular community that feel they are eligible to cycle on public UK roads“
…erm, we are eligible. Feeling doesn’t come into it.
- “if a cyclist throws him/herself into the back of a stationary motor vehicle… who’s to blame?”
Don’t you just hate it when you’re riding along and you have that sudden urge to throw yourself at a car? It’s so hard to resist walloping yourself, trashing your bike, picking yourself and your components up off the road, and limping home in the rain.
- “if you stick them back on the path in a cycle lane I’m sure a lot more people will survive.”
Is there another petition demanding proper infrastructure? Because that would be great. Proper infrastructure mind, none of this. They might want to check out the infrastructure guidelines suggested by Bez, who has quite a lot to say about cyclists surviving (or not).
This is a London Cycle Superhighway, where people get Cycle Superkilled by Cycle Supertippertrucks. HT @RossiTheBossi pic.twitter.com/eI13Yqpaca
— Bollocks Infra (@bollocksinfra) February 19, 2015
The petition has since received an abundance of support…
Nicely put, Martin Golder.
Bluntly put, Darran Smith.
What isn’t said is that many cyclists are already covered under their motoring/household insurance, or as members of Cycling UK or British Cycling, and, as Luke Thorley puts it brilliantly, road tax is for emissions only:
You can read the full petition here and the letter which is looking likely to be sent to PM Theresa May.
Actually, you can read the letter in FULL below. Don’t worry, it won’t take long:
“Cyclists to hold insurance and pay road tax to use public UK roads.”
Yep that is it.
Maybe it’s not a real petition, it’s actually an Intelligence Agency trap to ensnare people who are so stupid that they need to be watched in case they actually have ideas?
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Didn’t Osborne introduce a forthcoming change to VED for it to become an actual “road tax”, in which case the emissions-based argument is lost.
Not that I think cyclists should pay a tax, at least not until a fully integrated and safe cycle infrastructure plan is on the table. I would happily pay a tax for that to happen but not to mix it up on a daily basis with buses, trucks and general road cockwomblery (cyclists included btw)
They do have a photo showing a very naughty cyclist crossing a red light… There’s a car in the cycle box as well but that’s totally fine, right?
Will all bicycles now have to be fitted with number plates? I suspect the cost of that system will far out weigh any income from “tax”, which as mentioned, will be zero rated anyway for bikes…..
As above, no emissions = no tax, insured through BC and as a driver I’ve proved myself ‘roadworthy’.
Just prosecute red light offenders if that’s the issue.
“Just prosecute red light offenders if that’s the issue.”
In Sheffield this will keep someone *very* busy. It seems to be a local bylaw that a red light actually means “next three or four cars will be reet…”
This isn’t the first, and it won’t be the last…
https://www.change.org/p/department-for-transport-introduce-licences-licence-plates-and-road-insurance-for-bicycles (A mighty 53 signatures)
https://www.change.org/p/boris-johnson-london-cyclists-need-a-license (Lovers of grocer’s apostrophe’s, you’re in for a treat)
https://www.change.org/p/jay-weatherill-cyclists-need-to-pay-registration (A mighty 9 supporters)
https://www.change.org/p/cindy-mcleish-road-cyclists-should-pay-registration-and-be-responsible-road-sharers (Another Australian one)
https://www.change.org/p/david-cameron-mp-boris-johnson-cyclists-must-do-compulsory-basic-training (Ms Payton again, 11 signatures)
https://www.change.org/p/david-cameron-mp-ban-cyclists-in-groups-larger-than-4 (It’s novel, I’ll give you that)
https://www.change.org/p/clive-lewis-stop-cyclists-from-cycling-on-the-pavement-serious-danger-to-pedestrians (92 signatures, quite a successful one)
https://www.change.org/p/department-of-transport-and-main-roads-cyclists-to-require-registration-and-insurance-to-ride-on-queensland-roads (Another aussie one)
https://www.change.org/p/the-london-mayor-cyclists-in-greater-london-should-pay-road-tax (17 supporters! Go Patsy!)
https://www.change.org/p/sadiq-khan-cyclists-should-be-made-to-take-tests-and-have-insurance (21 supporters – can she club together with some of the other ones?)
I gave up getting annoyed by pointless dickheads a while ago.
Switzerland had a vignette system 30- odd years ago. They gave up because costs outweighed benefits. Quite why anyone iimagines we’d be better at following the rules.
Actually, I think this is a good thing.
Why?
Because the Gov will have to educate the morons who sign this & hopefully prick the bubble of entitlement a lot of motorists cruise around in!
It seems to be a local bylaw that a red light actually means “next three or four cars will be reet…”
…which raises the interesting double standard of motorists being “amber gamblers” but cyclists being “red light jumpers”
Hmm.
Looks like the content of the petition has been changed to remove any reference to cyclists being asked to pay road tax….
So if you ride a road bike from before 1973 (or 1996 for mountain bikes) then do you qualify for free Classic Vehicle tax? 🙂
I think it’s fair to say far more important issues have gained higher numbers and failed to be debated, this I’m sure will pass like them into silence.
Plus the frothy mouth tone is not really a winner for sensible debate.
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Yes, lets pay a duty for riding on the roads, then the funds so raised shall be used to create proper cycling infrastructure. And knobbers who post such ridiculous petitions can shut the heck up.