A clever guy in Portland finally gave up trying to persuade the carheads to think clearly and instead he decided that capitulating was the best choice.  He wrote a letter saying something like "I absolutely agree that bicyclists should be taxed the same as all other vehicles.  How about $1 a pound?"

The 5% Project Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay.

blending subsidy to go.

In the end, it all comes down to biodiversity. Poison Darts--Protecting the biodiversity of our world

After all, if we are looking for something that really costs the government of Seattle and Washington state some bucks large waistlines probably get right up there with cars. Actually the funds needed for roads are probably increased by the extra weight of those extra waistlines. When force=mass X velocity squared and all the traffic is moving at the same speed it's clear that fatties are putting more wear on the roads.

People with large waistlines demand parking spaces in front of their homes and other parking spaces within an easy waddling distance of all their favorite big box stores. Frequently people with large waistlines require special handicapped parking spaces due to the effects of those waistlines on their health. That costs LOTS of extra money.

When people with large waistlines have heart attacks they frequently call upon emergency medical services to attend to them increasing the workload on fire departments and county hospitals. They are more frequent visitors to medical clinics and require extra members of the police force to subdue them when they get in trouble.

I'm not saying we should tax every waistline; just those over 32 inches. One-hundred dollars per inch of excess yearly would be a good start. I can't help wondering how much waistline tax Mr. Vesely would pay; probably more than his car's registration.

Put the Carbon Back

Eventually, I expect to see per-kilometre road pricing for cars in Europe, Asia, and Canada at least.

One suggestion I would make to improve this system would be to include an optional component for cyclists. Those willing to cycle around with a transponder would be credited at a modest rate for distance travelled. This would be in recognition of the non-market advantages of cycling, such as the value of physical fitness as a component in preventative medicine. In 1998, Health Canada estimated the total cost of cardiovascular diseases on the health sector of the Canadian economy to be $18,472.9 million (11.6% of the total cost of all illnesses). Cardiovascular disease is also responsible for 36% of deaths. As such, a subsidy of a few cents a kilometre makes economic sense, as well as potentially generating some good publicity for a system that is likely to be highly unpopular with commuters.

a sibilant intake of breath