To Whom it May Concern,
I use the Capitol City Trail and the state's recreational bike trails
on a regular basis. I'm more than happy to pay the $10 per year for the
state trails If that fee included the Capitol City Trail, I'd still
happily pay it.
I disagree with the suggestion in your November 17 editorial that
cyclists who use the path for transportation haven't paid anything for
it. In purely economic terms, cyclists pay federal, state and local
(including Dane county) taxes. These taxes pay for all other services
required for automobiles (police and fire protection for motorists,
snow removal and much more), whether cyclists use them or not. Since
many cyclists also own cars, they pay automobile taxes for roads (and
trails) as well.
The reason many bike commuters are complaining is not because they're
cheap or have a holier-than-thou attitude. It's because even though
they're as much a part of the taxpaying community as people who drive
to work, they're being asked to pay a tax that people commuting by car
do not pay. Your editorial suggests they should smile and pay this
extra tax even though the cost of bicycle commuting to the community is
far lower than that of automobile commuting. Is that your idea of
fairness?
Michael Lemberger
Madison, WI
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