I am currently compiling a paper regarding the registration of bicycles for use on our roads. Now at the risk of being called a troll, and evoking emotional and abusive replies, I would like to ask you all a few questions to gauge your reactions to the following questions.
Did horse & carts ever have to pay rego? .... but we still had roads right ?
Aren't most rego taxes used for things other than roads anyway? In NSW (Australia) I figured only the 3 cent fuel tax was spent on roads. The RTA must spend 120% of it's budget on their overly patronising advertising campains.
<html> <head> </head> <body> Greetings, <br> No, horses and carts paid tolls instead. I'm currently doing some research on local history. Before local councils were set up, most districts had Roads Boards, which not only charged rates, but also levied tolls on road users. This system lasted for several decades, and like tolls of a later era was met with degrees of abuse of the toll-keepers and evasion. Thought that might interest you. <br> Regards, <br> Ray. <br> <br> kingsley wrote:<br> <blockquote type="cite" cite="mid:[email hidden]"> <pre wrap="">On Sat, 22 Mar 2003 16:17:54 +1000, Andrew & Joanne wrote:<br><br><br></pre> <blockquote type="cite"> <pre wrap="">I am currently compiling a paper regarding the registration of bicycles for<br>use on our roads. Now at the risk of being called a troll, and evoking<br>emotional and abusive replies, I would like to ask you all a few questions<br>to gauge your reactions to the following questions.<br></pre> </blockquote> <pre wrap=""><!----><br><br>Did horse & carts ever have to pay rego?<br>... but we still had roads right ?<br><br>Aren't most rego taxes used for things other than roads<br>anyway? In NSW (Australia) I figured only the 3 cent fuel tax was<br>spent on roads. The RTA must spend 120% of it's budget on<br>their overly patronising advertising campains.<br><br>-kt<br><br><br></pre> </blockquote> <br> </body> </html>
We have been hereabouts too often... Why is it that people think the small amount they pay in car registration somehow manages to fund construction and maintenance of our huge road network?
Registration fees from motor vehicles make NO CONTRIBUTION WHATSOEVER to most roads cyclists use. In most states, these fund only highways and a very few major urban arterials. For the most part, federal and state petrol taxes are spent similarly.
Most of our urban road network was originally built by property developers, and paid for by the people who bought the blocks they sold. Maintenance is done by local government and paid for out of the rates property owners (and hence renters) pay. Why cyclists should be deemed to be not funding this network is incomprehensible.
Ray Peace <[email hidden]> wrote in news:[email hidden]:
Please don't with the html, the posting, it hurts my head it does.
usenet is a plaintext forum, and a lot of people do not have readers that parse html.
-Bill Hamilton
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<head> </head> <body> Greetings, <br>
No, horses and carts paid tolls instead. I'm currently doing some research on local history. Before local councils were set up, most districts had Roads Boards, which not only charged rates, but also levied tolls on road users. This system lasted for several decades, and like tolls of a later era was met with degrees of abuse of the toll-keepers and evasion. Thought that might interest you. <br> Regards, <br>
Ray. <br> <br> kingsley wrote:<br> <blockquote type="cite" cite="mid:[email hidden]"> <pre wrap="">On Sat, 22 Mar 2003 16:17:54 +1000, Andrew & Joanne wrote:<br><br><br></pre> <blockquote type="cite"> <pre wrap="">I am currently compiling a paper regarding the registration of bicycles for<br>use on our roads. Now at the risk of being called a troll, and evoking<br>emotional and abusive replies, I would like to ask you all a few questions<br>to gauge your reactions to the following questions.<br></pre> </blockquote> <pre wrap=""><!----><br><br>Did horse & carts ever have to pay rego?<br>... but we still had roads right ?<br><br>Aren't most rego taxes used for things other than roads<br>anyway? In NSW (Australia) I figured only the 3 cent fuel tax was<br>spent on roads. The RTA must spend 120% of it's budget on<br>their overly patronising advertising campains.<br><br>-kt<br><br><br></pre> </blockquote> <br> </body> </html> Attachment decoded: untitled-1.htm
they also think its a simple matter to attach standardised number
plates to every bicycle!
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none of which have been designed for such.
Err, what [censored] is that? The bicycle I was riding in WA in the 1950's had a standardised numberplate, as did everybody else's. Yes, we had registration, it cost 2/6 ($0.25) per annum. Attaching the numberplate was not a problem.
A bit more than <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...
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kingsley said:
If you can call them roads. Deep ruts and washaways were very common
100 > > >years ago.
Here in the good old US of A it was the clamoring by the bicycling public that caused the improvement and paving of roads. Even the Via Appia was great for carts and foot traffic but would have been hell on bicycles.
It seems that "we have been hoisted by our own petard".
Err, what [censored] is that? The bicycle I was riding in WA in the 1950's had a standardised numberplate, as did everybody else's. Yes, we had registration, it cost 2/6 ($0.25) per annum. Attaching the numberplate was not a problem.
But but but ... Theo! What about the turbulence effecting the aerodynamic handling at normal commuting speeds? As far as I know, most bicycles haven't been wind tunnel tested or designed to cope with the perturbations in air flow that a number plate would cause.
--- Cheers
PeterC
[Rushing headlong: out of control - and there ain't no stopping] [and there's nothing you can do about it at all]
"Theo Bekkers" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
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"Andre S." wrote
Quoted message said:
they also think its a simple matter to attach standardised number
plates to every bicycle!
Quoted message said:
none of which have been designed for such.
Err, what [censored] is that? The bicycle I was riding in WA in the 1950's had a standardised numberplate, as did everybody else's. Yes, we had registration, it cost 2/6 ($0.25) per annum. Attaching the numberplate was not a problem.
About 25 years ago I paid an organisation called the Bicycle Register Co. to provide 'registration' of my bike (really just keeping their own record) with insurance coverage against theft. They gave me a numbered disc a bit bigger than a 50c piece, simple to attach with one bolt to a rack eyelet or brake mount. Trouble was of course, any fool with a spanner can nick it too. I didn't perservere with the insurance for long.
We're not in the 50s. These days the security of our bikes is a more serious issue. We have enough trouble ensuring the bike, or it's pedals, saddle, wheels...etc. don't get stolen. How would VicRoads deal with me when I tell them my rego plate was stolen?
In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...
Quoted message said:
kingsley said:
Did horse & carts ever have to pay rego? ... but we still had roads right ?
If you can call them roads. Deep ruts and washaways were very common 100 years ago.
Hmmm, not much different to the northern end of the Merri Creek bike path.
I can't see bicycle registration fixing this problems, or indeed any other problems, after all a bike path is a "road" "designed" (in a very loose sense of the word 🙂 for bicycles and therefore any registration attacted from bicycle registration should address such problems first IMHO.
