Bicycle licence fees

[eccc whippet]

 

 

Recreational cyclists are mostly in the middle to upper income brackets. I did the sums once, but basically taking various company, income and road taxes into account, on average cyclists pay way more towards roads than the average non-cycling motorist.

 

 

and some of us have code 2 and 14 ...now known as an A and EC which covers any vehicle on the road.

 

 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Driving_licence_in_South_Africa

 

 

which pretty much allows me to ride anything with wheels on the road.

 

lets not even go into the taxes...vehicle and trailer registrations even though it is friday. 

[LeoKnight]

Made it to Friday, but probably have a bit left in the legs...

[eccc whippet]

i would be happy to pay a small fee to use a "cycling safe road" between Durban and Balito...a loop from Durban to pmb and Durban to Scottburgh...as we do with mtb parks. 

 

as soon as you start enforcing bicycles licence fees...they will start enforcing road rules.

[Allrounder]

Exactly why I asked or posted that.

No one rants and raves about horses on the road or on the shoulder. I think car drivers are all to scared of the damage a horse can cause to a car.

Bicycles/cyclists are smaller and more light weight in comparison. "everyone pick on the small guy" 

 

Most of these guys that complain  - do not follow the road rules entirely either in their vehicles.

    - They also forget that their children ride bicycles or scooters or skateboards.

Perhaps start cycling with a can of spray paint instead of pepper spray?

[The Droosa]

Not sure if this has already been posted:

 

When it comes to fighting for road space, living in a city is a pain to say the least.  Motorists and motorcycle riders alike, continuously fight for dominance in traffic.  One can understand that being licensed as a road user, driving a car, bus, truck or motorbike affords you the same right to road use, but then of course you also get cyclists…

Many a plea has been issued by the cycling community to the public asking for consideration to cyclists.  It even stirred new pro cyclist laws into force in 2012 in the Western Cape.  Much has been done to avoid unnecessary deaths on the roads.

If you live in Cape Town, I am sure you would agree the worst road users are:

1.) Minibus taxis

2.) Cyclists

3.) Bikers… (but that’s another story)

The WESTERN CAPE PROVINCIAL ROAD TRAFFIC ADMINISTRATION ACT, 2012 (ACT 6 OF 2012): SAFETY OF CYCLISTS REGULATIONS, 2013

Clearly states the most important rules for cycling:

1.) Motorists may not come closer than 1 meter to a cyclist.

2.) Cyclist may NOT ride abreast of another cyclist unless overtaking.

3.) Cyclist may not ride while wearing a headset, headphones or any listening device other than a hearing aid.

4.) Cyclist must keep as close as practicable to the left edge of the roadway.

5.) Bicycles must have lights on, front and back, between sunset and sunrise.

6.) Bicycles must have front and rear reflectors.

Reg 323 for rules on freeways – where cyclists are prohibited

(1)         No person shall operate on a freeway—

(a)       in a vehicle drawn by an animal;

(b)        on a pedal cycle;

©        on a motor cycle having an engine with a cylinder capacity not exceeding 50 cubic centimeters or which is propelled by electrical power or which is a vehicle as contemplated in paragraph (b) of the definition of motor vehicle in the Act; ‘

Yet, the problem remains.

1.) Cyclists do not obey the laws of the road and even think themselves above the law.

2.) Cyclists misinterpret the law by allowing themselves a meter from the left edge, plus having one or two and I have even seen, three cyclists cycling next to each other in a single lane.

3.) Cyclists do not stop at stop signs and red traffic lights.

4.) They regularly exceed the speed limit in town.

5.) They cycle on the freeway even though this is not allowed even for 50 cc motorcycles.

Of course not all cyclists fall into this category, but the majority who do, gives the sport a bad name and leave motorists fuming.

Where must we as tax paying road users drive?  Why must we endanger ourselves and our vehicles to oncoming traffic because you need a wider berth?  Why must we waste unnecessary fuel to and from work while constantly having to wait for you?  Why should we as motorists take the blame for knocking a cyclist over?

I say this is absolutely absurd…  It is high time that laws get passed at National level and enforce road tax and licensing fees on cyclists.  Who knows, maybe we can then build them cycle lanes everywhere with the fees.

If you want a say and be afforded the same rights as road users, you should also get trained and tested by the licensing authorities.  Failing that, motorists shouldn’t be charged when cyclists get run over.

http://voices.news24.com/neil-holthauzen/2017/01/road-tax-and-license-fees-for-cyclists-a-must/

Maybe he never got enough attention as a child...

[porqui]

i would be happy to pay a small fee to use a "cycling safe road" between Durban and Balito...a loop from Durban to pmb and Durban to Scottburgh...as we do with mtb parks. 

 

as soon as you start enforcing bicycles licence fees...they will start enforcing road rules.

 

That's just the problem on our roads - nobody is enforcing the rules - and nobody is obeying the rules.

[Strider_]

Hi Guys

 

I saw Davids reply as per below.  Neil has be lawyered.

 

David van der Want • 2 days ago

Mr Holtshausen - I invite you to come on a 30 minute bike ride on the streets of Cape Town with me at a time that suits you. I own two bicycles and I am happy to lend you one if you don't have access to one. My hope is that this experience will illustrate to you two things - first, just how vulnerable one is on a bicycle in the streets and second, through this that you might discover an empathy for fellow road users that your article shows is currently hidden behind short sighted entitlement.

I also invite you to consider how some sections of your article might be viewed by a community of commuters and sportspeople who on an almost monthly basis read and hear about one of their number being killed by a careless motorist. The most recent of which is a young woman killed in the early hours of last Saturday morning outside Wellington by a young man driving to Stellenbosch barefoot. She was in the yellow line at the side of the road at the point of impact and was instantly killed. She was riding to meet her Dad for a training ride.

I think what you might learn on a 30 minute ride with me is that cyclists face an almost continuous barrage of aggressive and poor driving - the kind of driving that sees over 1700 people, 600 of them pedestrians, killed on our roads in the "festive" period. You face this driving armoured in the relative safety and false sense of security that the steel and plastic and airbags of your vehicle afford you.

I believe your article is inflammatory and irresponsible in the context of what is clearly a crisis on our roads. Instead of promoting a sense of empathy and understanding for people on the roads you adopt of posture of righteous indignation as if the existence of cyclists on the roads is an affront to your safety when in reality it is your attitude to cyclists evinced by your assertion that motorists should not be blamed for the death of a cyclist.

In a strange way this is already the case. The motorist who killed the young woman outside Wellington is unlikely to be severely punished.

The invitation to come for a ride is a sincere one - don't be too afraid - your bike will have a 700 lumen light on the front and a red light on the back visible at 2000 meters in daylight and I'll lend you a bright yellow stay wider of the rider shirt.

To all those who might be inclined to agree with this article I invite you, next time you see a cyclist on the road to consider that it might be me - a father, partner, contributing member of society and that all that stands between me and death on the bonnet of your car is your willingness to see me, and extend courtesy and understanding, even if it costs you 1 minute of your mad rush to the next red robot.

 

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[Fox3]

As far as I understand vehicle licenses are assessed roughly on what they weigh because of the damage/maintenance costs they cause on the road.

 

For the sake of convenience lets round the numbers off. My double cab weighs about 2 tons and costs +- R1000 to license every year. That's 50cents per kilogran. I'll happily pay R4 to license my bicycle. Will that make the road any safer? I doubt it.

 

Great statement!

[Patchelicious]

The whole argument about licensing bikes is frivolous in any case.

 

If we pay licenses for our bicycles, I bet my bike, that drivers attitudes won't change.

What it might even do, is make cyclists more of a pain, because we will be more inclined to exercise our right to be on the road.

 

Ask that man, if we pay for bicycle licenses, would he treat a bicycle like a car?

 

He has an issue, and he is looking for a way to justify it because he doesn't have the nut sack to simply say "I don't like cyclists". (we see this often)

[Robbie Stewart]

 

 

"If we want to be respected on the road we need to respect the rules of the road.  "

 

 

this is probably the best quote I have read in a very long time on the hub with regards to this prickly topic.

[Guest ToxicD]

100% sure. As you are a vehicle you are legally entitled to ride on any road except a freeway. And you are entitled to your lane. Of course common sense dictates you stay in the left lane unless turning right.

 

 

 

Edit. Its a conundrum actually. Cause if you are a vehicle you can ride in the middle of a lane and have to follow the rules of the road and then car owners have no right to complain. Or we are not classified as vehicles then we cant ride in the middle of the road but then the road rules also dont apply.

 

Pick one?

 

You cant be forced to follow the rules if the same courtesy of riding in the middle of the road is not afforded to you. Cars then need to say thank you that we are courteous enough to let them pass us.

 

I'm just saying. You cant have your cake, eat it and dictate who can have a bite and how they should chew.

[Foxbat]

To me its simple, the roads are dangerous so look after yourself as much as you can. Ride with lights day and night, wear bright gear, obey the rules of the road and ride in single file as close to the edge as possible. You not going to win a fight with a car. If you see other cyclist breaking the rules, let them know its them that give us a bad name.

[Quagga]

There we go again. Just because drivers have their music so loud you can hear them does not make it right. And the same argument would apply in their case. Not difficult to understand at all. 

 

What I am asking is why they only implemented the LAW for cyclist? Surely it should be accross the board then?

[Patchelicious]

What I am asking is why they only implemented the LAW for cyclist? Surely it should be accross the board then?

Bicycle are not the same as cars/motorbikes/lorries/donkey carts, therefore some laws will be specific to a particular mode of transport.

 

Not every law could or should be implemented across the board.

[coppi]

The whole argument about licensing bikes is frivolous in any case.

 

If we pay licenses for our bicycles, I bet my bike, that drivers attitudes won't change.

What it might even do, is make cyclists more of a pain, because we will be more inclined to exercise our right to be on the road.

 

Ask that man, if we pay for bicycle licenses, would he treat a bicycle like a car?

 

He has an issue, and he is looking for a way to justify it because he doesn't have the nut sack to simply say "I don't like cyclists". (we see this often)

I tend to disagree.

If we where made to pay a bicycle licence it should send out a clear message to other road users that we are allowed to be there and have paid for our space.

We should demand respect and our space on the road like everybody else ie. an articulated truck requires more space than a bus, and pays very high licence fees due to its nature. In the same way it can filter all the way down to a car, motorbike and finally a bicycle, with everyone paying and respecting the road space.

[Patchelicious]

I tend to disagree.

If we where made to pay a bicycle licence it should send out a clear message to other road users that we are allowed to be there and have paid for our space.

We should demand respect and our space on the road like everybody else ie. an articulated truck requires more space than a bus, and pays very high licence fees due to its nature. In the same way it can filter all the way down to a car, motorbike and finally a bicycle, with everyone paying and respecting the road space.

We already do have the right to use the road.... 

 

Perhaps it will change "some" motorists views, and in line with my previous statements, we should tackle this from all angles, and perhaps this in another one. I would certainly purchase a license if we needed too.

 

I just believe that in this case, this moany man is using it as excuse to justify his dislike for cyclists.