The bike tax is just a distraction: The real problem is the billions on new highways Posted on February 25,

20 ! by Tom Fucoloro Package"Fact"#heet"$%" &hen the state #enate 'emocrats un$eiled a transportation package last week, (olks were shocked to see a )symbolic* bike tax o( up to 5 percent on bike sales in the state+ ,nd we all (ell (or it, posting about why it makes no sense+ -ut really, the bike tax is just a distraction (rom the larger problems with the bill, acting like a smoke screen keeping people (rom seeing the real problem: -illions o( dollars to partially (und highway expansions all o$er the state while (ailing to ade.uately address road sa(ety, transit, walking and biking needs+ The -icycle ,lliance o( &ashington points out that less than hal( o( one percent o( the proposed / 0 billion would go to in$estments that make it sa(er and easier to get around on (oot and bike+ This is simply unacceptable+ #eattle Transit -log chimed in this morning reporting that the /!+0 billion (or new and expanded highways 1not including the (unds (or repairs to existing (acilities2 does not e$en (ully (und those projects, meaning they will re.uire many millions or billions more to complete them (urther down the road+ This is exactly where we are today as the state tries to dig up the rest o( the money (or the 520 and the 3wy 00 deep bore tunnel projects+ There is some transit (unding in the package, but not nearly enough to (ill expected (unding gaps at 4ing 5ounty 6etro and other transit agencies in the state+ ,nd this comes at a time when the state should be in$esting in (ast and e((icient regional transit, like helping to boost a #ound Transit ! (unding e((ort+ &e cannot widen highways enough to signi(icantly reduce congestion+ -ut we can gi$e people other options to lessen the load+ 6eanwhile, lack o( sa(e walking and biking routes to schools is the norm in &ashington+ This is unacceptable and shame(ul+ 7t is also detrimental to the state8s education goals+ 5ompared to expanding a highway, making sure e$ery single school in the state has sa(e crosswalks around it and sa(e connections to neighborhoods would cost the state $ery little+ &hy is #a(e 9outes to #chool absent (rom this plan: 9egional trails remain disconnected, unpa$ed or incomplete+ , section o( trail is kind o( cool, but a connected network o( trails and separated routes is a power(ul transportation system+ 5ities (rom across the nation look to &ashington8s -urke" ;ilman Trail as a premier example o( a regional bicycle highway, yet the state remains uninterested in completing other similar routes in its towns and cities+ The new complete streets (unding is a step in the right direction, but the state8s own (act sheet describes that pool o( money as a (und to make sa(ety impro$ements (or people on bike and (oot+ This completely lea$es out the (act that the biggest sa(ety impro$ements (rom complete streets come (rom reductions in car"on"car collisions+ This is a great idea, o( course, but it8s not only a biking and walking thing+ The scale o( the (unding is also so completely out"o("scale with the rest o( the package that the (act sheet pie graph rounds it to <ero percent+ 7n hard number terms, the -icycle ,lliance o( &ashington and Transportation (or &ashington are pushing (or at least / 50 million per year in biking and walking

sa(ety projects and /200 million per year in transit (unding+ ,t those rates, it will still take a long time to catch up on the massi$e needs (or biking and walking sa(ety and access, but at least it would make a dent in the problem+ #o while the bike tax is certainly a bad idea, let8s not take our eye o(( the ball+ =arge transportation packages don8t come along $ery o(ten, and this one has gotten o(( to a $ery bad start+ People working toward ade.uate (unding (or biking and walking sa(ety are starting with $ery little on the table+ To make matters worse, a tough, only"i("we"absolutely"ha$e"to"do"it"to"get"something"worthy bargaining chip>the bike tax>is already on the table (or some reason+ 7t8s hard to bargain when you start by gi$ing up e$erything and recei$ing nothing+ 7( it comes to it and the only way to get ade.uate or bold biking and walking (unds is to o((er up the bike tax, then it might be worth it to swallow that $ery bitter pill 1see ?eil (rom 6ontlake -ike #hop explain why it would hurt his small shop2+ @n(ortunately, that8s not the situation we8re in+ 5an we get there: 'emocrats better hope so i( they want to a$oid bitter opposition to their plan+ -ecause &ashington can8t a((ord another massi$e in$estment in the exact kinds o( highway projects that got us into this mess o( unsustainable, dangerous, (rustrating and economically draining congestion+ ,nd we certainly can8t start taxing bicycles to pay (or it+ &hatAs our bicycle Bsocial contractB: by 'a$id ,lpert C Danuary 5, 20 :!E pm

&ith the (re.uent calls (or cyclists to Bstart beha$ing,B itAs clear that a number o( people dri$ing and walking are unsettled by the conduct o( at least some people on bikes+ -ut people in cars speed all the time, and people walking cross against the light, and neither generates as many newspaper letters to the editor+ &hat is the di((erence: Fne explanation is that people naturally notice in(ractions by others on di((erent modes more than those on the same mode+ People dri$ing tend to see misbeha$ior by people walking and cycling rather than (rom other people dri$ing, (or example+ #ince relati$ely (ew people ride bicycles while a great many dri$e, the outraged letters would skew toward misbeha$ior by those on bikes and away (rom that by people in cars+ Felix #almon proposed another interesting explanation a while back+ -asically, he argues that weA$e de$eloped a clear understanding o( what to expect (rom people walking and dri$ing generally, but lack that consensus (or people bicycling: The trouble all starts when you drop bicyclists into the mix+ ,t that point, a whole new set o( combinations comes into play, and as a city we ha$enAt worked out how to make them work+ 7n other cities, especially in places like 5openhagen or @trecht, bicycles are ubi.uitous and e$erybody knows how to beha$e on and around them+ -ut weAre not there yet+ &e expect that people on (oot stay on the sidewalk most o( the time, and cross when thereAs a walk signal or an unsignali<ed intersection, as the law says+ &e also expect that people on (oot sometimes cross against the light i( no cars are coming+ That might not be legal, but itAs generally commonplace and pretty sa(e+ People dri$ing might not like it, but they tend not to be too surprised when it happens and donAt write angry letters to the editor about it+ =ikewise, we expect that people dri$ing will obey tra((ic signals and stop signs,

and not dri$e up onto the sidewalk+ &e also expect that people dri$ing may go a little o$er the speed limit, which can increase the risk o( (atal crashes but is generally widespread+ =ikewise, people dri$ing o(ten donAt stop (ully at a stop sign, which adds a small amount o( danger but not that much, and so itAs generally tolerated+ -ut what do we expect (rom people biking: &hat should they do thatAs legal, and what are they going to do thatAs not technically legal, like people crossing on (oot against the light or dri$ing a bit o$er the speed limit: ,s Felix #almon noted, weAre not in northern Gurope where people riding bikes are e$erywhere+ There, there are so many people on bikes that i( 00H o( them beha$e a certain way, people walking and dri$ing are used to it and will generally expect it+ Those that stray outside those boundaries will (ace criticism+ 3ere are a (ew examples o( bicycling beha$iors that are (airly common, and my opinion about whether they should be part o( the bicycle Bsocial contractB or not: Fkay: The 7daho #top+ -asically, people on bikes ought to treat intersections as people on (oot generally do+ 7( itAs a stop sign, look care(ully, and proceed i( itAs sa(e to do so+ 7( thereAs a light, stop, look e$en more care(ully, but itAs still okay to proceed i( itAs sa(e and continuing wouldnAt inter(ere with any people dri$ing or walking+ -ad: -lowing through an intersection against the light without slowing down+ This should go without saying, but some do it+ The B5 maneu$er+B -ad: The B5 maneu$er+B 7 o(ten see people on bikes approach a moderately busy two" way cross street, then turn right onto that street, merging into the right"mo$ing tra((ic, then make a @"turn merging into the le(t"mo$ing tra((ic, and (inally turn right to get back onto the original street continuing along+ 15an you come up with a better name (or this:2 ;ood: donAt lane, lane, 9iding in do it+ 7( itAs best as i( you the middle o( the lane+ This is legal but most people riding bikes youAre tra$eling on a bike down a street that doesnAt ha$e a bike to act like a car+ 9ide in the $ery middle o( the appropriate car were in a car+

6ost people on bikes ride on the right edge o( the roadway+ -ut this entices the people dri$ing cars to try to pass them in the same lane+ ,nd i( that person in the car turns right, they might Bright hookB the person on the bike+ -eing in the center o( the lane makes you $ery $isible+ 7( itAs a one"lane street, people on any mode probably shouldnAt be tra$eling that (ast+ 7( itAs a multi"lane street, people in cars can go around+ -ad: Dumping the .ueue when itAs not really necessary+ 7( youAre on a bike, and thereAs one car ahead o( you at a stoplight with enough cross tra((ic that itAs not sa(e to 7daho #top across, why go around that car only to make the person dri$ing it pass you again: Dust wait behind the car, as i( you were in a car yoursel(+ Fkay: Dumping the .ueue when there are a lot tra((ic, cyclists are going to s.uee<e up to necessarily sa(est and as an indi$idual on a the back o( the line, but when there will be a(ter the light changes, people riding bikes ThatAs not going to be reasonable to stop+ o( cars waiting+ 7( thereAs a lot o( the (ront o( the line+ 7tAs not bike you might be best o(( waiting at a (airly long wait to get going again are generally going to mo$e up+

&hat do you think about these: &hat other bicycle beha$iors should be part o( the ideal Bsocial contractB that will allow people on (oot, on bikes and in cars to coexist peace(ully, knowing what the others are likely to do and not do: -ritish 97;3T# FF &,I 'GF7?7T7F?#: 9ights o( way (all into two categories, Public rights o( way and Pri$ate rights o( way+ Public rights o( way 3ighways are a way in which the public ha$e the right to pass and re"pass by (oot, on horseback or with $ehicles+ -ridleways, (ootpaths and metaled roads 1carriageways2 are all examples o( highways+ 5arriageways are a way constructed or comprised in a highway 1other than a cycle track2 o$er which the public ha$e a right o( way by (oot, on horseback or with $ehicles+ -ridleways are a highway o$er which the public has a right o( way on (oot, on horseback or leading a horse+ There is also a right to use a pedal cycle on a bridleway pro$iding the cyclist gi$es way to pedestrians and riders+ Pri$ate rights o( way (all into two categories, the (irst being (or the bene(it o( a landowner in respect o( accessing his own land $ia someone else8s and where public access is restricted and the second being Jpermissi$e paths8+ Permissi$e paths are paths and tracks that are not public rights o( way+ There is no statutory right to use them and they are not co$ered by rights o( way legislation+ F(ten there will be a notice at either end o( the route explaining this and setting out any conditions the owner has set+ Iou may (ind, (or example, that use is restricted to daylight hours, that dogs are banned entirely, or that the path may be mo$ed or closed at certain times+ ?otice, Gngland has no massi$e amounts o( legal pages o( B,mericanB negati$ity that one has to o$ercome to pro$e innocence: Thus no problems with BneededB attorneys, helmet laws, police bulliesK &hen peace is maintained by simplicity+