We don’t know why, but some folks just don’t like bicycles and the people who ride them. Maybe it’s resentment directed against the cyclists’ perceived “elitism” for choosing two-wheeled self-propulsion over a Dodge Ram 3500 Quad Cab 4×4 with the 345-hp Hemi V8. Or maybe it’s the silly Spandex shorts.
Anyhow, there’s a lot of hostility out there toward cyclists. And we’re inclined to think HB 3008 is one expression of it.
HB 3008 is a piece of proposed legislation that would create a bicycle registration and licensing system in Oregon. Among other things, it would impose a registration fee of $54 per bike every two years. (The basic registration fee for a motor vehicle in Oregon is only a dollar more – $55 every two years.)
Fifty-four dollars per bicycle is a pretty hefty sum. For a family that owned four bikes, it would mean an outlay of $216 every two years. In addition, the bill would set up a database of information about bikes and their owners that would be available to law enforcement.
This weird bit of legislation is primarily the work of Wayne Krieger, an ex-state policeman who’s now a state representative from the coastal town of Gold Beach. The blog BikePortland (bikeportland.org) has some interesting background on Krieger, who doesn’t care much for cyclists and apparently doesn’t think they belong on the public roadways.
Back in 2007 he was one of only two votes in committee against the Vulnerable Roadway Users Bill, which increased penalties for drivers who seriously injured or killed cyclists. (The bill ultimately passed.) According to BikePortland, Krieger thought the legislation “unfairly singled out” drivers of motor vehicles and should have cracked down harder on irresponsible cyclists. (Gotta protect the hammers from the eggs, after all.)
In addition to Krieger, the sponsors of HB 3008 are Reps. Sal Esquivel (R-Medford), Bill Garrard (R-Klamath Falls) and Michael Schaufler (D-Happy Valley). None of these gentlemen comes from a big cycling town, and we suspect that in addition to general resentment of bikes and bikers, antagonism toward those durn latte-sipping liberal enviro-wackos in Portland may be part of their motivation.
Whatever the motivation may be, HB 3008 is a god-awful piece of legislation. Charging the same amount to register a bicycle as to register a car or truck is insane on the face of it; motor vehicles cost the state far more in terms of wear and tear on the highways, pollution, law enforcement and accidental deaths and injuries than bicycles ever could, even if there were a thousand times as many of them as there now are. And at a time when people are pulling in their belts and trying to save money on transportation – by riding bikes, among other things – slapping what amounts to a punitive fee on them for doing it is totally irresponsible.
Krieger and his colleagues more or less concede that their bill doesn’t have a prayer; it appears they offered it simply to get the idea on the table. Here’s THE BOOT to kick it off the table – permanently.
This article appears in Mar 12-18, 2009.
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While Bike agrees that HB 3008 is a terrible idea he does take exception to the reference to “silly Spandex shorts”. Here’s a suggestion: get on your road bike, put on a pair of bonafide bike shorts and ride east from Bend to say, the quaint Alfalfa Market. There, buy something so they can stay in business and change out of your bike shorts into say, running shorts. Now, ride back to town attired in your “non-silly” running shorts and report back how you still consider bike shorts as “silly”. And no cheating by changing back into bike shorts before you reach Bend, OK?
While Car agrees that HB 3008 is a terrible idea, he does not think that bike registration is all bad. It is too high a price, and it is increasing taxes in a down turn economy, a very bad idea.
Car also thinks that “silly spandex shorts” are very cute on girls little rumps, but totally gay on guys.
Can you say revenue, revenue, REVENUE! Ridiculous!
It should be pointed out that most bikers also have at least 1 or more cars in their families and already pay registration fees on their vehicles. My hours have been cut for the duration of the bad economy so the registration fees would make me an outlaw because I can’t afford the bike registration fees. I ride my bike because I cut back on transportation expenses.
Bike: Lighten up! Jeez!
J: “Can you say revenue, revenue, REVENUE!”
Apparently it’s not clear that the revenue generated by the bike registration fees would even cover the costs of administering and enforcing the new system.
me thinks some vats of cold roofing tar and some bales of soft white feathers be called for ,and put to use at eariest opportunity, a few old fence rails could be handy also.
Not only the cost of administration and enforcement, but with a bike registration fee, will we see the regulation of shoulder width of roads and the courtesy of routine road sweeping throughout Oregon, also???
Just introduced to the A-hole Rep. Krieger throug the dcoumertry film Veer. I guess we can start calling all anti-cycling zellots Kriegers.