I've found there are always those who will not listen to any argument, rational or not. Best not to focus on those folks because as you suggest, it's futile. My intended audience is those who may have heard the other side and said in all honesty, "So, really, why should public funds go for bike paths?" Those people in the Great Middle may listen. So, don't worry about changing the extreme mind on the other side of the discussion. Talk to the people listening in.
-------------Patrick Lenon Date: Sat, 7 Mar 2015 09:12:52 -0600 From: [email protected] To: [email protected] CC: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] Subject: Re: [Bikies] Iowa Raises Gas Tax Seems to me the argument one uses is that most adult bicycle owners also pay vehicle registration fees, income taxes, sales taxes, gas taxes, property taxes that all in some way are used to support the building and maintenance of roads. Unfortunately, cyclists are never going to win this argument or satisfy motorists who distrust and dislike cyclists. Bottom line is many just don't want us on the road no matter how much we pay. Implementing a $50/yr registration fee for adult cyclists will sway very few motorists. Even if we paid an agreed upon "fair share" we would still lose the argument. The argument really isn't about money. My strategy is to always obey the rules of the road and visibly grant right of way to motorists, i.e., act like an ambassador and hope that every time I extend goodwill that I make some small amount of headway in changing the way that auto/truck drivers view cyclists. Brian Mink Patrick Lenon wrote: Tell them that, as they drive to work tomorrow, every cyclist they see is one less car in traffic ahead of them, and one more open parking spot for them. -------------Patrick Lenon > Date: Sat, 7 Mar 2015 08:04:44 -0500 > From: [email protected] > To: [email protected] > CC: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [Bikies] Iowa Raises Gas Tax > > And, bikes only pay 0% of the roads, right Mike? Give me an argument that I can use to explain to motorists why they need to subsidize bikes. > > Larry D Nelson, P.E. > > PO Box 199 > 4180 Wilson Road > Dodgeville, WI 53533 > > 608 630 6532 > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: William Hauda <[email protected]> > To: [email protected] > Sent: Fri, 06 Mar 2015 18:44:12 -0500 (EST) > Subject: Re: [Bikies] Iowa Raises Gas Tax > > Agree with Mike. Example: Fitchburg is going to reconstruct a mile or so > of Lacy Road and this will involve an assessment on property owners who > use this street to access their homes. At the same time, a better Lacy > Road will benefit both motorists and cyclists generally. > > On 3/6/2015 5:25 PM, Michael Rewey wrote: > > Motorists at most pay only 20% of local road costs, so why this picking on bikes? As a > > property tax payer I am aready subsidising streets. > > > > Mike Rewey > > > > On 5 Mar 2015 at 7:22, Larry D Nelson wrote: > > > > If there was a state registration and registration fees (and wheel tax) for bikes, our work > > would be much easier. We would have a common relationship with the motorists, who may > > currently regard bicyclists as freeloaders. > > Right now, all we can agree on is that we as individuals should not have to pay for anything. > > > > Sent from my iPhone > > > > On Mar 5, 2015, at 1:22 AM, Jeffrey Schimpff <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > I would much rather pay a higher registration fee for a bike that I use every day of the > > year, rather than for a car that sits in the garage most of the time. A wheel tax is > > regressive for those of us who do our best to conserve energy and use public roadways > > very little (aside from local streets, for which we pay in large part with property taxes). > > > > From: "William Hauda" <[email protected]> > > To: "Eric Sundquist" <[email protected]>, "Larry Nelson" > > <[email protected]>, "Matthew Logan" <[email protected]> > > Cc: [email protected] > > Sent: Tuesday, March 3, 2015 11:12:25 PM > > Subject: Re: [Bikies] Iowa Raises Gas Tax > > &nbs font-family:HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, Lucida Grande, > > sans-serif;font-size:16px" data-mce-style="color: #000; background-color: #fff; font- > > family: HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, Lucida Grande, sans-serif; > > font-size: 16px;"> I have heard discussion among County Board members about > > establishing a wheel tax and would favor it, based on that discussion and Larry's info. A > > $20 tax in Dane County would bring in between $4 million and $5 million -- not nearly > > what the RTA was looking at and small potatoes compared to big projects like Verona > > Road or Highway M, but definitely a part of the puzzle in growing the multimodal system > > in the county. > > > > > > From: Larry Nelson <[email protected]> > > To: Matthew Logan <[email protected]> > > Cc: [email protected] > > Sent: Tuesday, March 3, 2015 5:31 PM > > Subject: Re: [Bikies] Iowa Raises Gas Tax > > > > Planning includes financing needed public transportation improvements. The following > > municipalities have adopted the wheel tax. Municipalities Appleton (city) - $20 > > beginning February 2015 Arena (township) - $20 beginning April 2015 Beloit (city) - $10 > > through January 2015; $20 beginning February 2015 Janesville (city) - $10 Milwaukee > > (city) - $20 Counties Chippewa County - $10 beginning January 2015 > > [email protected] http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Bikies mailing list > > [email protected] > > http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org > > > > Michael W. Rewey > > 5522 Comanche Way > > Madison, WI 53704-1026 > > home: 608.249.6673 > > cell: 608.698.6673 > > [email protected] > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Bikies mailing list > > [email protected] > > http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org > > > > _______________________________________________ > Bikies mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org > > _______________________________________________ > Bikies mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org _______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list [email protected] http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org
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