Road signs

[The Medway Handyman]

Oh very good....

[Clive George]

At the same rate as the cheapest cars?

[The Medway Handyman]

>>>>> should be a clue.

Oh look - there are 13 cars out of 4,855 that fall into band A & don't pay VED.

look - cyclists pay the same VED as 0.27% of cars.

In the meantime 99.3% of motorists are paying for cycle lanes, advanced stop lines, cycle paths etc. Cyclists however, free from the burden of having to pay for all of this, can spend their money on new florescent lycra shorts.

Fuckwit.

[ARWadsworth]

>>>>>>> should be a clue.

Choose your cyclists carefully.

Why would you not want to slow down as you pass for a fit bird in lycra shorts on a bicycle?

Adam

[Clive George]

>>>>>>> should be a clue.

And? The point is that you're not saying people who drive those cars aren't allowed to complain about potholes.

There is a side issue which is that you apparently had no clue about the taxation regime applied to vehicles in this country yet still pontificated about how it works.

You're just a whining loser.

The worst thing is I've had motorists excuse dangerous driving (including causing a full-size artic to swerve out of their way at speed) by saying that I don't pay VED. Which apart form being an utter lie also spectacularly misses the point.

With the law as it currently stands, cyclists have every right to complain about potholes etc. This is regardless of whether they're significant tax contributors (eg me), or not (eg a kid).

If you think this is wrong, campaign to get the law changed. You won't succeed, because both the government and the opposition are encouraging cycling, as they realise it's a good thing. You need to face the facts about this : you're wrong.

(And cycle shorts are very rarely made of flourescent lycra.)

[Steve Walker]

Yes, many household policies do include third party cover for cycling. The "also drivers" and therefore pay VED is slightly more dubious - I know a number of cyclists that don't possess cars, but also a number of people that have more than one car and have to pay VED and insurance tax on each, even though they can only be driving one at a time.

Personally, I don't think that cyclists should pay VED, but I do think that they should carry a form of numberplate so that they can be reported for their faults.

SteveW

[Roger]

The message from Andy Champ contains these words:

So where is the e-petition then?

There would of course be winners and losers but how would the balance between heavy commercial and private cars be altered?

My own view is that the fuel tax is pitched as high as it can be regardless of the VED and VED is then ratcheted up to penalise those who don't use their cars very often. Some bastard in the Treasury almost certainly has a computer model to work out the highest yield from a combination of VED and fuel tax that won't actually generate a riot.

[The Medway Handyman]

>>>>>>>>> should be a clue.

No, I'm saying that cyclists who pay SFA and get free cycle lanes ASLs etc are parasites & should stop bloody whinging.

And you deliberately tried to spin the argument by claiming that "cyclists pay the same VED as some cars" conveniently using the word 'some' when the reality is an insignificant percentage.

But you don't pay VED as a cyclist do you? You pay VED to keep a specific vehicle on the road, not a collection of vehicles.

You don't contribute anything as a cyclist, but you get all these freebies paid for by the motorist. Parasite. You shouldn't be clogging up the bloody roads, let alone complaining about them you sponger.

They don't realise its a good thing, they realise its a vote catcher. They realise that the sort of people who stick half a melon on their head & wear ridculous lycra outfits are gullible enough to vote for snake oil salesmen.

You need to realise you are a scrounging parasite who can't stop whinging.

[Clive George]

I don't see cyclists whinging on this thread : I see you. You're the one who's complaining about things, whining on about people who choose a to ride a bike. You're just a whining loser, and you're still wrong about how these things get paid for.

[Dave]

You have just got to be spot on right here :-(

Dave

[Alan Braggins]

And we're saying don't be such a clueless whining loser.

[Clot]

Snipped

Oh dear, I shouldn't have mentioned cyclists. They seem to be a red rag! I do love the term "melon head" though. ;)

I find that there are two sub species of the character: the first knowing and exercising its right to the road with no consideration of others whilst the second is considerate. My gut feel is that the proportion is roughly

50/50.

[<me9]

Couldn't stand the pace?

[<me9]

As long as /all/ pedestrians do the same.

[The Medway Handyman]

So come on then f****it, tell me who pays for these idiot cylcle friendly road changes?

Can't be cyclists, no pockets in lycra shorts.

Sponging, whinging bloody parasites.

[Clive George]

For a "f****it", I appear to have significantly more idea than you about where the money comes from.

Every year your local council will send you some documentation telling you where their money comes from. You'll be able to see the various sources, including your local council tax. Now last time I looked, there wasn't a discount for riding a bike - so cyclists pay just as much as anybody else.

So one answer is your local council, and the ultimate answer is "all of us", same as everything else provided by public funds.

Do you actually understand what whinging is? It's you, going "Waa waa waa those nasty cyclists mummy waa waa waa". And since I probably pay more tax than you, thus supporting the services you complain about more than you do, you can shove your parasite accusation up your own arse.

[dennis]

Are you on about the lottery funded national cycle paths or something more specific? Maybe the ones funded by the safety camera fines?

[Alan Braggins]

You might well be on to something there. Maybe if we wait he'll come out and stop feeling so insecure.

[Alan Braggins]

If you weren't a blind fool you'ld notice most cyclists still don't wear lycra or helmets.

You really haven't been paying attention at all, have you?

I'd like to see you tell that to some of those thousands of dockers.

[Mark]

-- snip --

But what if the crossing is part of a cycle path?